Our Geography
Townsville is located about halfway between the tip of Cape York and Brisbane. The Ross River flows from the foothills of the Hervey and Mount Stuart ranges to its outlet in Cleveland Bay, where the CBD’s skyline is dominated by the distinctive Castle Hill and Magnetic Island lies just eight kilometres offshore.
Our local government area covers 3,736 square kilometres (0.2% of the total area of the State of Queensland), and is currently experiencing rapid residential development through the Northern Beaches growth corridor.
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Our Environment
Townsville lies in the Burdekin Dry Tropics Region, which covers approximately 95,000 square kilometres and includes Bowen, Ayr and Charters Towers.
We have a dry tropical climate, with lower rainfall than elsewhere in the tropics. Average annual rainfall is 1143mm, on an average of 91 rain days, which mainly falls in the wet season between November and April. Our average daily temperature range is 18.8 degrees celcius to 28.1 degrees celcius.
Our region is characterised by diverse landforms and natural environments. In the low lying coastal plain there are a number of rivers, creeks and freshwater wetlands. Hills and mountains rise out of the coastal plan, creating distinctive landmarks such as Castle Hill. The long coastline features beaches, mangrove estuaries, saltpans and coastal swamps.
These natural habitats support a wide range of flora and fauna including: 53 mammal species; a large number of reptiles and amphibians including land snakes, estuarine crocodiles, and a diverse range of lizard and frog species; and at least 365 bird species. Endangered, vulnerable and rare species are also found, including mahogany gliders, dugong and cassowaries.
National parks and other reserves include Magnetic Island, Paluma Range, and Bowling Green Bay National Parks; and the Cape Pallarenda and Townsville Town Common Conservation Parks. Our region is partly within and adjoins the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the Queensland State Marine Park.
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Our History
The new city of Townsville was formed in 2008, when the city councils of Townsville and Thuringowa were amalgamated. Prior to this, both cities had a distinct but interconnected history.
Traditional owners, the Bindal and Wulgurukaba peoples, are the first known people to have lived in the Townsville area. Captain James Cook mentioned the region in 1770.
In the early 1860s, the first pastoral leases were taken out on land which later became the Thuringowa Division. John Melton Black was employed by Robert Towns at Woodstock Station. In 1864 he despatched Andrew Ball, Mark Watt Reid and a small party of Aboriginals to search for a site where a suitable port could be established for the boiling down and shipping of cattle, thus avoiding dependence on the overland road to the port of Bowen. Ball's party established a site by the mouth of Ross Creek. The township was known as Cleveland Bay, “The Creek”, Blackstown, and Castletown but Black named the township Townsville for his employer Robert Towns. This was the name adopted by the Queensland government when the township was surveyed in 1865 and declared a municipality in 1866. The Thuringowa Division was formed soon after, under the Divisional Boards Act 1879.
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Our Economy
Townsville has a strong and diverse economy in which significant industries include retail trade, health and education services, government administration and defence, construction, mining, manufacturing, and property and business services.
Together, Queensland Rail and the Port of Townsville provide a transport hub for the region’s mining and agricultural industries, as well as for locally-based Xstrata Copper Refinery, Sun Metals Zinc Refinery, Queensland Nickel and the Queensland Sugar Corporation Distribution Centre.
Our city is a major service centre, and the main centre for government administration outside Brisbane. Regional health services are provided by the Townsville Hospital. There are a number of research institutions such as James Cook University, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Department of Primary Industries and CSIRO Davies Laboratory. The large defence presence due to our army and airforce bases also influences the local economy.
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Our People
Townsville is the largest city in North Queensland and one of the fastest growing cities in the state, in terms of population.
- As at 29 June 2011, the estimated resident population of Townsville City was 191,000 people
- The population is increasing at a rate of 2.7% per year – with approximately 5,000 new residents making the move to Townsville each year
- The Townsville City population is estimated to reach 240,000 residents by 2020
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