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119-638: The Rockhampton Customs House is a heritage-listed customs house at 208 Quay Street, Rockhampton , Rockhampton Region , Queensland , Australia. It was built from 1899 to 1900 by Caskie and Thompson. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 7 February 2005. The Rockhampton Customs House was constructed in 1899 as the third Customs House in Rockhampton. It is one of a group of Customs Houses built in Queensland at

238-489: A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base that can accommodate most military aircraft in service. Townsville is the industrial heart of northern Australia with a GRP of $ 15.1 billion in 2023. The city is served by Townsville Airport and the Port of Townsville , the largest general freight and container port in northern Australia. Popular attractions include " The Strand ", a long tropical beach and garden strip; Riverway ,

357-559: A category 4 cyclone, battered the city and Magnetic Island, causing considerable damage. In 1973, Indigenous activists Eddie and Bonita Mabo established the Black Community School in Townsville, where children could learn their Indigenous culture rather than white culture. Eddie Mabo worked as a gardener at James Cook University in the 1970s and 1980s. It was at the university in 1974 that he first learned of

476-441: A tropical savanna climate ( Köppen climate classification Aw ). Owing to a quirk of geographical location, Townsville's winter rainfall in particular is not as high as elsewhere in the eastern coastal tropics of Queensland, such as Cairns . The winter months are dominated by southeast trade winds and mostly fine weather. Further north the coastline runs north–south and the trade winds are lifted to produce rainfall right through

595-588: A city, governed by the Thuringowa City Council . The cities of Townsville and Thuringowa were amalgamated into the "new" Townsville City Council in March 2008, as part of the Queensland state government's reform program. In 1896, Japan established its first Australian consulate in Townsville, primarily to serve some 4,000 Japanese workers who migrated to work in the sugar cane, turtle, trochus , beche de mer , and pearling industries. With

714-536: A claim struck out by the Federal Court of Australia in 2005. James Cook visited the Townsville region on his first voyage to Australia in 1770, but did not land there. Cook named nearby Cape Cleveland, Cleveland Bay and Magnetic(al) Island . In 1819, Captain Phillip Parker King and botanist Alan Cunningham were the first Europeans to record a local landing. In 1846, James Morrill

833-522: A corniced shelf. Rectangular windows line the face of the semi-circular bay and forming a lintel to these is a string moulding. The floor of the porch is concrete as are the floors throughout the first floor of the building. A wrought iron balustrade links the columns lining the porch. Internally the first floor of the Customs House is arranged with a large central space, the Long Room, under

952-481: A curved brick wall, forming the foundations of the porch the internal line of which it is directly above. The external line of the porch is supported on sandstone foundations which form another wall separated from the brick foundation wall by a walkway. The ceiling in this space is clad with small gauge corrugated iron. The Queen's Warehouse houses the "Customs House Discovery Centre". The interpretive centre includes wall mounted display cases, free-standing display cases,

1071-474: A deep water port for Rockhampton. By the turn of the century the actual area of river frontage used for wharfage had moved further downstream away from the area dominated by the new Customs House. Steam vessels of up to 4,000 long tons (4,100 t) could make their way upriver. Larger vessels required unloading in Keppel Bay and transfer to lighters . After Federation customs collection was handed over to

1190-674: A detachment of 8 troopers of the Native Police under the command of John Marlow to search for a suitable site. Ball's party reached the Ross Creek in April 1864 and established a camp below the rocky spur of Melton Hill , near the present Customs House on The Strand . Edward Kennedy, a Native Police officer accompanying the group, recalled how his "boys" (the Aboriginal troopers) chased four or five local tribesmen into

1309-501: A high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period. The foundation work supervised by AB Brady shows an innovative engineering solution to the problems of unstable foundations that led to the collapse of many Rockhampton buildings. The place has a special association with the life or work of a particular person, group or organisation of importance in Queensland's history. The building, designed by Thomas Pye with George Payne, has special associations with them and

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1428-759: A major staging point for battles in the South West Pacific . A large United States Armed Forces contingent supported the war effort from seven airfields and other bases around the city and in the region. Many buildings, schools and 177 private houses were commandeered for use by the military. Slit trenches were dug in many places, and 18 concrete air-raid shelters were built, six of them in Flinders Street. The first bombing raid on Rabaul , in Papua New Guinea, on 23 February 1942 was carried out by six B-17s based near Townsville. Some of

1547-648: A mere 217.9 millimetres (8.58 in) between December 1901 and November 1902 at the peak of the Federation Drought , to as much as 2,956.2 millimetres (116.39 in) between March 1990 and February 1991. On average, the driest year in ten can expect only half the mean rainfall, compared to around 64 percent in Brisbane, 68 percent in Sydney, and 72 percent in Darwin. Rainfall also varies considerably within

1666-483: A new building. However, on 14 August 1862 the timber buildings comprising the Customs House including the Bond Store and Quarters were burnt down. As a result, tenders were called on 27 September 1862 for a new Customs building and this was constructed in the following year. The 1863 Customs House was a single storeyed, masonry building with a slate roof, a storage basement and a colonnaded porch facing Quay St. However

1785-511: A popular place for exercise; The Townsville Sports Reserve; and Magnetic Island , a large neighbouring island, the vast majority of which is national park . Aboriginal peoples such as the Wulgurukaba , Bindal , Girrugubba , Warakamai and Nawagi originally inhabited the Townsville area. The Wulgurukaba claim to be the traditional owners of the Townsville city area; the Bindal had

1904-520: A riverfront parkland attraction located on the banks of Ross River ; Reef HQ , a large tropical aquarium holding many of the Great Barrier Reef's native flora and fauna; the Museum of Tropical Queensland , built around a display of relics from the sunken British warship HMS  Pandora ; Castle Hill or as it was originally known Cootharinga, the most prominent landmark of the area and

2023-626: A satellite city to the south of Townsville developed by national developer Lendlease Group , is expected to be home to 26,000 people by 2057. Additionally, the Queensland Government announced it will be offering 270 hectares (670 acres) of state-owned land (the former abattoir reserve), just south of the Bohle River , for urban expansion. Townsville lies approximately 1,350 kilometres (840 mi) north of Brisbane , and 350 kilometres (220 mi) south of Cairns . It lies on

2142-457: A semi-circular entablature over which a skillion roof sits. Flanking the porch are short arcaded sections which terminate and are aligned with the end bays of the building. The arcaded sections are formed from full length arched openings which have Italianate balustrading. Above the arches and aligned with them are elliptical openings. The symmetrical end bays have rusticated sandstone faces and an arched opening at first floor level which extends to

2261-417: A semi-circular porch projecting centrally from the north eastern facade to Quay Street and flanked by end bays. The building employs many classical architectural features. The principal floor housing the long room and large office spaces is on the first floor, beneath which, on the ground floor are secondary spaces. The first floor seems to sit on the heavy base provided by the ground floor which, externally,

2380-494: A small wharf to allow for the transport of wool bales from their property, Gracemere station . West of the place chosen as the wharf a large bar of rocks prevented further movement upstream for sailing vessels, thereby dictating the siting of the eventual Port of Rockhampton. The short lived Canoona gold rush of 1858 and its massive influx of over eight thousand diggers provided "the landing place" with its first major activity of loading and unloading of vessels. In 1858 Rockhampton

2499-474: A speech to the audience where he explained the land inheritance system on Murray Island . The significance of this in terms of Australian common law doctrine was taken note of by one of the attendees, a lawyer, who suggested there should be a test case to claim land rights through the court system. Mabo decided to take on the Australian Government . Perth -based solicitor Greg McIntyre was at

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2618-568: Is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland , Australia. With a population of 179,011 as of the 2021 census , it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of the Sunshine Coast ). It is unofficially considered the capital of North Queensland. Townsville hosts a significant number of governmental, community and major business administrative offices for

2737-532: Is a national hub for renewable energy , in green hydrogen and polysilicon , as well as the centre of CopperString 2032 being Australia's largest renewable transmission project. Townsville is Australia's 'fortress city', home to a large part of the strategic capability of the ADF , offering essential services including maintenance and supply chains including one of the largest military bases in Australia as well as

2856-511: Is accessed from a door adjacent to the Customs House, though which an entry hall is reached where a timber stair provides access to the first floor. Rooms open from the entrance hall on the ground floor. The rooms on the lower level have many early features; joinery and ceiling panelling, though most have been painted and covered with surface mounted conduits. The upper floor is generally re-ordered with recent partitioning concealing an early layout and any early features. The Rockhampton Customs House

2975-399: Is heavily rusticated with banding. The principal facade, facing Quay Street, is dominated by the centrally placed round porch to which access is given via two stone stairs starting from concrete steps from the footpath and curving around the projecting porch to the first floor. The porch comprises a row of Corinthian columns following the curve of this facade of the building, which support

3094-486: Is of timber boarding, the walls are plastered and modest skirting boards and cornices have been used. Much joinery remains and this is of excellent quality with unusual five panelled doors. Chimney pieces remain in some of the rooms and these are timber framed with tiled and marbled infill panels. Centrally located downstairs is a room formerly known as the Queens Warehouse, a large semi-circular space defined by

3213-415: Is regularly pierced with openings. Several round arched doorways provided access to this space from the corridors which flank the Long Room. A section of an early timber desk/counter is fitted within the space. The ground floor is arranged about a central room beneath the Long Room with hallways running either side off which offices are found in the end bays of the building. Generally the ground floor ceiling

3332-617: Is susceptible to tropical cyclones . They usually occur between December and April, forming mainly out in the Coral Sea, and usually tracking west to the coast. Notable cyclones to affect the Townsville Region have been: Cyclone Kirrily (2024), Cyclone Yasi (2011), Cyclone Tessi (2000), Cyclone Sid (1998, in particular damaging The Strand and causing major flooding ), Cyclone Joy (1990), Cyclone Althea (1971), Cyclone Leonta (1903), and Cyclone Sigma (1896). The city

3451-461: Is the warmest month of the year with daily mean maximum and minimum temperatures being 31.5 °C (88.7 °F) and 24.1 °C (75.4 °F) respectively. July is the coolest month with daily mean maximum and minimum temperatures being 25.1 °C (77.2 °F) and 13.7 °C (56.7 °F). Townsville experiences an annual mean of 8.5 hours of sunshine per day, averaging 120.8 clear days per year. Like most of Northern Australia, Townsville

3570-554: The 2022 Australian federal election . Some of the suburbs on the southern fringe of the urban area are part of the Division of Dawson and are represented by Andrew Willcox , representing the Liberal National Party . Some of the northern suburbs of Townsville, known collectively as the "Northern Beaches", are included in the Division of Kennedy which is represented by Bob Katter ( Katter's Australian Party ), who

3689-665: The Commonwealth although the Queensland Government maintained responsibility for maintenance on the building. After completion of the Customs House warehousing, necessary for storage of bonded goods, was found to be in excess of requirements. A result of this was that the Fitzroy Bond building was (Portion 3 of the Reserve) sold to the Queensland Government in 1906. The importance of the Customs House to

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3808-685: The Garbutt airfield . On 29 July 1942, a single "Emily" Flying Boat dropped one bomb at the Experimental Station of Oonoonba and seven bombs landed in Cleveland Bay where bomb craters are still clearly visible. There were no deaths and structural damage was minimal, as the Japanese missed their intended targets of the railway, the harbour and the airfield and destroyed a palm tree at the Experimental Station of Oonoonba. Although

3927-579: The Government of Queensland prior to the March 2008 elections, the previous entities of NQ Water, The City of Townsville and the City of Thuringowa were amalgamated. In the 2024 Townsville City Council election , Troy Thompson (Independent), was sworn in as Mayor of Townsville. The previous Mayor of Townsville was Jenny Hill , a member of the Labor Party . Hill was elected in April 2012, replacing

4046-542: The James Cook University , Townsville campus. In the presence of many dignitaries, HRH Queen Elizabeth II formally granted autonomy to North Queensland’s new educational institution. In 2020, James Cook University celebrated its 50th anniversary with a Treasures exhibition, showcasing 50 collection items from Special Collections, Eddie Koiku Mabo Library, James Cook University, Townsville. The rare collection item – ‘James Cook University Development: Pimlico to

4165-588: The Loyalty Islands and the New Hebrides . Charges were made against Henry Ross Lewin , the recruiter for Robert Towns, that some of the Islanders had been kidnapped to work on the plantations. In 1867, a magisterial enquiry was set up into the death of an Islander working on one of Towns' plantations. A pharmacist attending was of the opinion the death was caused by a lack of proper nourishment,

4284-738: The New South Wales Rugby League announced that a team from Townsville would be admitted to the expanded, nation-wide competition, and the North Queensland Cowboys made their debut in the 1995 ARL season . In October 2000, a Solomon Islands Peace Agreement was negotiated in Townsville. In February 2019, Townsville experienced a major flood event , which caused five deaths. Floodwaters damaged approximately 3300 homes and about 1500 homes were rendered uninhabitable. Inner-city high-density development has also created population growth and gentrification of

4403-617: The Spitfire had seen about eight armed Aboriginal men in canoes approaching them from nearby Magnetic Island in an apparent attempt to board the ship. They were repulsed by a discharge of the brass gun. The Burdekin River 's seasonal flooding made the establishment of a seaport north of the river essential to the nascent inland cattle industry. John Melton Black of Woodstock Station, an employee of Sydney entrepreneur and businessman Robert Towns , dispatched Andrew Ball , Mark Watt Reid and

4522-575: The State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 5 September 2014, archived on 15 October 2014). Customs house Due to advances in electronic information systems, the increased volume of international trade, and the introduction of air travel, the term "custom house" became a historical anachronism. There are many examples of buildings around the world that were formerly used as custom houses but have since been converted for other uses, such as museums or civic buildings. As examples,

4641-529: The "hit or miss" nature of tropical lows and thunderstorms, and the powerful influence of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation , variation from year to year is almost uniquely large for such a wet climate, being comparable only to a few cities in the Northeast of Brazil (e.g. Fortaleza ). Since records at various urban locations started in 1871 twelve-month rainfalls in Townsville have ranged from

4760-497: The Customs House reserve associated with ancillary buildings as well as landscaping. The stables were to be rebuilt, to incorporate lavatories, paved two stall stable, a feed room and coachhouse. As well a stone boundary wall along Quay Street, fencing, gates, driveways, stables and lavatories were to be constructed at a cost of £ 1615.00. Along the boundary wall fronting Quay Street three entrances with stone pillars and wrought iron gates were provided. Double iron gates were provided for

4879-667: The First Chancellor archival footage, 1960 – 1970’ was one of the Treasures selected for the anniversary year. The 12min film preserved on NQHeritage, the University Library’s Special Collections online repository, shows footage of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II arriving at the official ceremony and being introduced to the official party. Their Royal Highnesses first appear in the film at 6:06 minutes. On Christmas Eve 1971, Tropical Cyclone Althea ,

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4998-485: The Islanders receiving only cornmeal for food. Other evidence was given by employees of the plantation company who claimed the labourers were treated well and a verdict of death by natural causes was declared. Recent research has shown that the many allegations of blackbirding and slave conditions relating to the recruitment and employment of South Sea Islanders in Queensland are baseless, and without foundation in fact or reliable historical evidence. Townsville's population

5117-636: The J. W. Wilson (Rockhampton Architect, designer of the School of Arts building) family furniture collection is stored within the office space in the building. To commemorate the centenary of Federation in 2001, the Rockhampton Customs House was one of 43 major projects that received funding through the Queensland Heritage Trails Network Project. The $ 110 million Queensland Heritage Trails Network

5236-584: The Japanese aircraft were intercepted on two of the three raids, no Japanese planes were shot down. In 1961 the University of Queensland established a campus at Pimlico , near Pimlico State High School , later developing a site at Douglas near the Army Barracks, and across the new Nathan Street Bridge. The faculties of Arts, Law, and Education, and several residential colleges, Union, St Mark's, and John Flynn relocated from central Townsville. This

5355-586: The London firm, Farmer and Binnelly. Although the contract was to be completed by March 1900, the contractors requested an extension of time as a result of wet weather and labour shortages. Unusually the Royal Coat of Arms was not included on the building, though this is thought to have been as a result of the shortage of stonemasons rather than an oversight. At the completion of the Customs House, Caskie and Thompson tendered for and were awarded other works within

5474-549: The Port of Townsville are underway, which involve channel widening and installation of a 70-tonne Liebherr Super Post Panamax Ship-to-Shore crane, to allow much larger cargo and passenger ships to utilise the port. It is an increasingly important port due to its proximity to Asia and major trading partners such as China. Dominant sectors of its diverse economy include defence , administration , health and education , manufacturing , energy , transport and logistics . The city

5593-514: The Public Works Department who produced many fine public buildings at the turn of the century. [REDACTED] This Misplaced Pages article was originally based on "The Queensland heritage register" published by the State of Queensland under CC-BY 3.0 AU licence (accessed on 7 July 2014, archived on 8 October 2014). The geo-coordinates were originally computed from the "Queensland heritage register boundaries" published by

5712-543: The Rockhampton Customs House was part of a major public works construction program leading to Federation of not only customs houses but also state government offices and post offices. Tenders were called in March 1898 for removal of the old Customs House and demolition took place in May 1898. In August 1898, the Department of Public Works accepted the tender of Messrs Caskie and Thompson of Brisbane for £ 16,534.10. 2 to build

5831-796: The Townsville Cenotaph was laid in Strand Park on 19 July 1923. It was unveiled on 25 April 1924 ( ANZAC Day ) by the Queensland Governor , Sir Matthew Nathan . The rural land surrounding the city was initially managed by the Thuringowa Road Board, which eventually became the Shire of Thuringowa . The shire ceded land several times to support Townsville's expansion. In 1986 the Shire became incorporated as

5950-496: The Townsville Harbour Board and Mrs Shepherd. The day’s program began with a cavalcade of progress at the Townsville sports reserve. The grounds were filled with crowds and children waving their Australian flag. It was a spectacle for the royal visitors and the local community who came out on the day. Following lunch on board Britannia, the royal family were driven to the site of Queensland’s newest university,

6069-816: The building was acquired by the Rockhampton City Council . At the time of the handover of the building it was anticipated that the Customs House would be used as either a museum or some form of tourist attraction. In 1989 the Rockhampton City Council sponsored a tenant for the Customs House- Skillshare Capricornia. Skillshare occupied various parts of the building and the laboratory/bond store for its activities. The Long Room, restored to its original layout, has been used for social and cultural functions including book launches, and art exhibitions. Part of

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6188-556: The building, at the rear of the site. The Rockhampton Customs House is a well composed and substantial sandstone and rendered brick building prominently sited on Quay Street overlooking the Fitzroy River . Most of the buildings in Quay Street are built up to the line of the footpath except the Customs House which is set back from the street and has a large semi-circular entrance portico which contributes to its prominence in

6307-433: The central business district (CBD). One significant contributor to CBD development was the construction of a new rail passenger terminal and re-siting of the railway workshops, releasing prime real estate which formerly belonged to Queensland Rail for the development of residential units, retail projects and a new performing arts centre. The skyline of Townsville's central business district has undergone dramatic changes over

6426-476: The city. Three weirs, fish stocking and dredging of the river in these reaches has resulted in a deep, stable and clean waterway used for many recreational activities such as water skiing, fishing and rowing. Thirty kilometres (19 mi) from the mouth (at the junction of Five Head Creek) is the Ross River Dam , the major water storage for the urban areas. The historic waterfront on Ross Creek , site of

6545-518: The conference and agreed to take the case; he then recruited barristers Ron Castan and Bryan Keon-Cohen. McIntyre represented Mabo during the hearings. The James Cook University Douglas campus library is now named after Mabo. On 3 June 1992, the High Court of Australia ruled in favour of Eddie Mabo in Mabo v Queensland (No 2) recognising native title in Australia for the first time. In 1993,

6664-444: The crown of the drum. The north west and south east elevations of the building, continue the classical detailing of the principal facade of the end bays, with a series of round arched openings separated by pairs of Corinthian pilasters. The cornice detail and ground floor rustication continues around to these sides as well. The rear of the building is of rendered brick, and is without the rustication and detailing which characterises

6783-459: The dome, and two long rooms flanking this along the sides of the building and articulated externally as the end bays. The flanking rooms are long spaces with plastered ceilings and walls, elaborate cornice and high timber skirting. Generally these rooms retain much of their original fittings, including joinery, plaster ceiling roses, ventilation shaft covers. The Long Room is a grand internal space, classically proportioned and detailed in keeping with

6902-471: The entry to the Fitzroy Bond. The tender was approved on 10 October 1900. The Customs House provided a large central Long Room where business was transacted, a Queen's warehouse, ten offices and a strong room. Faced with local freestone from Stanwell Quarries, the other portion being of brick set in cement, except the base course, which is of Brisbane tuff . The outer dome is of timber covered in Muntz metal ,

7021-466: The first years of studies for Medicine and for Veterinary Sciences were offered in Townsville, but the establishment of a new General Hospital at Mount Louisa provided facilities necessary for the establishment of an independent Medical School. In 1970, Queen Elizabeth II , the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Anne toured Australia including Queensland. The Queensland tour began on Sunday 12 April when

7140-935: The former Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in Manhattan, New York , (now the George Gustav Heye Center ) presently houses a branch of the National Museum of the American Indian , the former U.S. Custom House in New Orleans, Louisiana , is now home to the Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium , the former U.S. Custom House in San Francisco, California , now houses offices of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Social Security Administration and

7259-409: The former U.S. Custom House in Baltimore, Maryland , was in 1973 serving as a Selective Service office. As of 2019 , the Custom House of Valletta in Malta was still being used for its original purpose. Custom Houses became a prominent feature of English ports after 1275, following the creation of a national system for collecting duties on overseas trade. In the United Kingdom , since 1386,

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7378-414: The ground floor in the form of a long rectangular window opening. The base of the opening at first floor level has an Italianate balustrade. Flanking the opening at first floor level are pairs of Corinthian pilasters . These pilasters seem to support a string moulding which aligns with the entablature of the porch, forming a cornice along the entire length of the facade, above which a short parapet conceals

7497-418: The hilltops but decided to descend to their awaiting dinghies as they noticed residents of three Aboriginal camps below were moving in their direction. These people were yelling and dancing "in a very hostile manner" and Dalrymple felt obliged to fire upon them. Dalrymple's group then made an "orderly retreat" to the dinghies halting at intervals to fire upon those throwing spears. The crew which had remained upon

7616-441: The implications of the terra nullius doctrine which held that he did not legally own the land he believed was his under the traditional land inheritance system of his people. Buchanan's Hotel in Flinders Street, regarded by architectural historians as Australia's most significant building in the Filigree style, was lost to fire in 1982. In 1981 a land rights conference was held at James Cook University and Eddie Mabo made

7735-467: The inner dome being of coke and cement concrete. The long room occupies the centre part of the upper floor with the principal offices on either side. Below the long room is the King's warehouse, with shipping and other offices at the sides. The outer palisading to street front is of hammered iron on freestone and porphyry walling. Final cost of construction was £ 17 390/2/9 and ancillary buildings including walls and gardens cost £ 1 616/11/6. The building

7854-411: The installation of a smaller air condition unit to the rear of the building on the ground floor. The Discovery Centre, which incorporates static and multimedia displays, introduces visitors to the city's history, Customs House, Quay, river and people of Rockhampton today. The first floor continues to be used for meetings, conferences, functions, etc. In 2003, a lift was installed in the south-west corner of

7973-411: The interpretation centre. The former stable building which is on the north west corner of the site, with an elevation facing Quay Lane. This is a small rendered brick building with rustication similar to that found on the Customs House. The corrugated iron roof is half hipped and surmounting it are two decorative ridge ventilators. Four door openings and two window openings, plainly detailed, are found on

8092-446: The introduction of the White Australia policy , the demand for Japanese workers decreased, causing the consulate to finally close in 1908. At the beginning of 1942, Townsville had 30,000 inhabitants and between 5,000 and 7,000 of them voluntarily evacuated to other places. During the Second World War , the city was host to more than 50,000, and Townsville Naval Section Base . American and Australian troops and air crew, and it became

8211-472: The killing of a shepherd. After the fighting, the "boys" rounded up around 12 women and each took turns based on their rank in selecting one. "In five minutes, each had chosen their spouse and the ceremony was complete." The next group of colonists, led by W. A. Ross, arrived at Cleveland Bay from Woodstock Station on 5 November of that year. In 1866 Robert Towns visited for three days, his first and only visit. He agreed to provide ongoing financial assistance to

8330-536: The last few years, with a number of new highrise buildings, both commercial and residential, constructed. In the short term, much of the urban expansion will continue to the west and the north, in the former City of Thuringowa. The most significant of these is North Shore Estate, a new A$ 1 billion 5,000-lot housing estate, located close to the Bruce Highway , just north of the Bohle River . Medium-term city expansion will be focused on two major urban developments that have started in 2017 and 2018. Elliot Springs,

8449-449: The major tenant. The ground floor offices on the southern side of the building were partitioned, and an amenities area was provided in the Queen's Warehouse. The office for the Federal Member for the Rockhampton/Fitzroy electorate was also located in the building. The Long Room was divided internally with removable partitions. Within the area of the Queen's warehouse further partitioning was introduced to increase office space. Air conditioning

8568-527: The maritime activities of the Port of Rockhampton diminished gradually. During the Second World War , war ships and supply vessels navigated to the town reach. However the advent of bulk shipping accelerated the decline of the area of the town wharves. In the 1960s major upgrading of the Port Alma wharves was undertaken, and road connection was also provided to Rockhampton. However, this development

8687-405: The metropolitan area; it typically ranges from 1,136 millimetres (44.7 in) at central Townsville City to 853 millimetres (33.6 in) at Woodstock , a southwestern suburb. The wettest 24 hours on record was 11 January 1998, with 548.8 millimetres (21.61 in) falling mostly in a 12-hour period after dark, which has since been dubbed the "Night of Noah" by Townsville residents. December

8806-540: The new settlement and Townsville was named in his honour. Townsville was declared a municipality in February 1866, with John Melton Black elected as its first Mayor. Townsville developed rapidly as the major port and service centre for the Cape River , Gilbert, Ravenswood , Etheridge and Charters Towers goldfields. Regional pastoral and sugar industries also expanded and flourished. The Alligator Creek meatworks

8925-532: The northern half of the state. Part of the larger local government area of the City of Townsville , it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland, adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef . The city is also a major industrial centre, home to one of the world's largest zinc refineries, a nickel refinery and many other similar activities. As of December 2020, $ 30M operations to expand

9044-437: The ocean. Kennedy then stated that he "left the "boys" in the water, pumping lead and hurling derisive cries at them, neither of which seemed to reach their mark". A member of the expedition who was from a town in the south accidentally shot dead an elderly Aboriginal man. He said that he thought he was being stalked by an alligator. On the return journey to Port Denison, the group "dispersed" another Aboriginal camp in reprisal for

9163-522: The original wharves and port facilities, has some old buildings mixed with the later modern skyline. However, the central city is dominated by the mass of red granite of Castle Hill , 286 metres (938 ft) high. There is a lookout at the summit giving panoramic views of the city and its suburbs, including Cleveland Bay and Magnetic Island . There are a number of parks scattered throughout the city, including three botanical gardens  — Anderson Park , Queens Gardens and The Palmetum . Townsville has

9282-492: The other facades of the building. Again a semi-circular bay projects from the centre of the facade and this is lined with rectangular window openings at ground and first floor levels. From this projects a two storeyed square planned section. Access is provided to the Long Room from the porch through two doors on either side of the central projecting semi-circular bay. The doorways housing the double half glazed doors are surmounted with relief lettering "H.M. CUSTOMS" above which sits

9401-449: The parti of the building. The room comprises a central square planned space with the interior of the dome projecting above. Because the dome rests on a square base, that is the building, a pendentive, or series of curved inverted triangular sections in the corners of the square plan, join at their tops to form a circular crown on which the drum of the dome rests. The interior of the dome is ornamented with various moulded courses and panels and

9520-552: The phrase "custom house" has been in use over the term "customs house". This was after the City of London's Custom House was erected at Wool Wharf in Tower Ward , to house just the officials overseeing the Great Custom on Wool and Woolfells. The singular form was used even though in later years the City of London's Custom House served as the workplace for other customs officials as well. Townsville Townsville

9639-549: The present Customs House. The design was produced under the guidance of Mr. A B Brady, the Government Architect. Chief Draughtsman Thomas Pye has been attributed with the design and George Payne is thought to have been responsible for many of the innovative and interesting details of the building. George Payne was also thought to be responsible for the design of the Townsville Customs House which

9758-504: The problem and it was necessary to attempt repairs a number of times during the 1880s and 1890s. Deputations were made from the Rockhampton Chamber of Commerce and Rockhampton Municipal Council in 1890 seeking replacement of the building. Because the growth and prosperity of Rockhampton as a new capital city was crucial to the separation of Central Queensland movement, who sought to create a new state in north Queensland, it

9877-413: The prominence of the northern cities. At the time that funding was being sought for the construction of a new Customs House in Rockhampton the economic situation in Queensland was worsening with the depression of the 1890s. The Queensland Colonial Architect, Alfred Barton Brady , estimated some £ 6000 was required to finance a massive repair program to reconstruct the Rockhampton Customs House, money that

9996-528: The refitting of the Queen's Warehouse as a temporary Customs House. In November 1897, the Government Architect A B Brady submitted plans for approval to Treasury for a new Customs House. Estimated cost was to be £ 12,000. Completion was expected to take eighteen months. At this time other Customs Houses were being constructed by the colonial government in other ports along the Queensland coast, in locations such as Townsville and Maryborough . The construction of

10115-480: The retiring Les Tyrell and defeating main opposing candidate Dale Last . Tyrell was the immediate past Mayor for 17 years of the former local government authority, the City of Thuringowa . The previous Mayor of Townsville for 19 years was Tony Mooney ( Australian Labor Party ). Hill faced a largely hostile chamber in her first term, with 'Townsville First' candidates winning the majority of divisions. When local government elections were held in March 2016, Jenny Hill

10234-679: The roof. Projecting from the hipped, corrugated iron roof, centrally over the principal room of the building is a large dome clad with a copper and zinc alloy, known as Muntz metal sheeting. The metal sheets have been laid radiating from the central metal lantern in twelve sections with border mouldings which define the sections. The dome rests on a substantial sandstone drum which is pierced with twelve regularly spaced oculi or round windows, every second and third ones of which are blind openings. These are divided by slender pilasters which expand outward toward their base to form buttressing elements. The pilasters seem to support an entablature which surrounds

10353-502: The royal yacht Britannia entered Moreton Bay at Caloundra, sailing into Newstead Wharf. After visiting Brisbane, Longreach and Mount Isa the Royal Family travelled to Mackay. The royal party had a leisurely cruise to Townsville, taking four days to arrive after their departure from Mackay. On the morning of April 20, they were met by The Deputy Mayor of Townsville Mr. T. Aikens, M.L.A. and Mrs Aikens and Mr W.W. Shepherd, Chairman of

10472-494: The shallow foundations of the building were sunk in clay and the shifting of this strata was to lead to the eventual failure of the structure. A two storeyed brick bond store facing Quay Lane was constructed as part of this phase of development. In the 1870s the Customs House Reserve was extended when portion 5 of Section 46 the site of the former Royal Fitzroy Hotel was acquired. A single storeyed brick bond store

10591-578: The shore near to where the modern city of Townsville now stands and met with a number of Aboriginal people, giving them biscuit and tobacco. The Aboriginal people started to touch and feel all the expedition members, and began "smacking their lips", which Dalrymple interpreted as an indication that they wanted to eat them. Another group of Aboriginal people came down, attacking them with a shower of stones and spears. Dalrymple and his men "were necessitated" to fire upon them, "repulsing them with loss." They landed again near to Cape Pallarenda to obtain surveys from

10710-466: The shores of Cleveland Bay, protected to some degree from the predominantly south-east weather. Cleveland Bay is mostly shallow inshore, with several large beaches and continually shifting sand bars. Magnetic Island lies 8 kilometres (5 mi) offshore, to the north of the city centre. It, together with Castle Hill in the town centre and Mount Stuart to the south of the city, form a large quartz monzonite igneous province. The Ross River flows through

10829-625: The south eastern wall. The wall facing Quay Street has a centrally located double window. With a wall to Quay Lane is the former two storeyed brick Bond Store. The corrugated iron roof of this building has slightly overhanging eaves which are lined with diagonal timber boarding. The ground floor is rendered brick and the upper floor is face brick with white tuck pointing. Six paned vertical sash windows with heavy timber frames and mullions are found on all facades and these are awned with corrugated iron awnings supported on substantial timber brackets with infill battening in some places. The bond store

10948-411: The street. On the Customs House site is the Customs House, facing Quay Street and to the rear of this a two storeyed former bond store and in the north eastern corner a one storeyed former stables building which has a more recent addition along the north eastern property line. The former stables and the Customs House are contemporary. The Customs House is a two storeyed rectangular planned building with

11067-538: The supply of stone for the structure prior to construction. Most of the stone was procured from the Number 4 quarry at Stanwell. The Works Department ensured that Stanwell freestone would be used on the side walls and return fronts, although these initially had been specified to be rendered masonry. J W Esdale was the stonemason, J Innis the foreman of works and the Corinthian order capitals were carved by employees of

11186-407: The time of its construction, the Customs House was seen as a symbol of prosperity and progress in the city. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places. The building demonstrates the development of customs houses in Queensland and is significant as a good example of the substantial customs houses built along the Queensland coast at

11305-467: The turn of the century and designed by the Public Works Department. The place is important because of its aesthetic significance. The Customs House has great aesthetic significance, it is a prominently sited building on an important street facing the Fitzroy River and a well composed substantial sandstone building with considerable architectural merit. The place is important in demonstrating

11424-494: The turn of the century to the design of innovative and skilful architects of the Public Works Department . The architect responsible for the design of the Rockhampton Customs House is thought to be Thomas Pye with the assistance of George Payne . The Archer brothers made a private expedition to the Rockhampton district in 1853, and were the first Europeans to record and chart the Fitzroy River . They built

11543-503: The units based in Townsville were: In July 1942, three small Japanese air raids were conducted against Townsville, which was by then the most important air base in Australia. On 25 July 1942 two Japanese Kawanishi Flying Boats dropped 15 bombs which landed near the mouth of the Ross River, only 370 metres (400 yd) east of oil tanks in the harbour. On 28 July, one Japanese plane dropped eight 230-kilogram (500-pound) bombs near

11662-467: The use of crates and sacks and mannequins. The main feature is a reconstructed wharf sub-structure. The free standing cases and exhibits are secured by the placement of weights within the cases. A lightweight grid is suspended from the ceiling toward the northern end of the area, indicating Rockhampton street signs and for possible use in later exhibition design. A wall mounted display case is also located in this area. Some multimedia facilities are included in

11781-439: The year. Townsville, however, lies on a section of coastline that turns east/west, so the lifting effect is not present. As a result, winter months are dominated by blue skies, warm days and cool nights, although at times significant rainfall may occur. The average annual rainfall is 1,095 millimetres (43.11 in) on an average 61 rain days, most of which falls during the six-month "wet season" from November to April. Because of

11900-556: Was 4,000 people in 1882 and grew to 13,000 by 1891. In 1901  Lord Hopetoun made a goodwill tour of northern Australia and accepted an invitation to officially open Townsville's town hall, occasioning the first ever vice-regal ceremonial unfurling of the Australian national flag. With Brisbane, in 1902 Townsville was proclaimed a City under the Local Authorities Act. The foundation stone of

12019-497: Was a dispute with workers who left work 15 minutes early to catch the 4:30pm train back to town and the factory threatened to sack 340 workers reporting that it wasn’t 15 minutes but some had stopped working at 3:45 or 4pm. On 8 July 1866 Robert Towns imported the first boatload of South Sea Islanders into Townsville to labour on the cane and cotton farms. They numbered 56 and arrived on the Blue Bell which had brought them from

12138-549: Was also affected by the 2019 Townsville flood , the convergence of a monsoon and a slow-moving tropical low. Townsville has offices of many State and Federal Government agencies, such as Centrelink and the Australian Taxation Office . Townsville is governed by a City Council , comprising an independently elected Mayor and 10 Councillors who each represent a separate division within the local government area. Following local government reform undertaken by

12257-424: Was an Australian first, funded through the Queensland and Commonwealth Governments in partnership with local government authorities and local communities. The project was designed to provide the city of Rockhampton with a central cultural attraction. The ground floor office partitions and air conditioning were removed and the area was refitted and currently houses the "Customs House Discovery Centre". The refit included

12376-411: Was constructed as the Queen's warehouse. The area of the Customs House formed a focal point for transaction of commerce with frontages onto both Quay Street and Little Quay Street (later Quay Lane), and dominating the strip of properties with water frontage. Within four years, increased use of the Port resulted in the pre-fabricated building becoming inadequate and cramped conditions dictated the need for

12495-555: Was constructed on this site. Further additions were made to this building in 1879. The building was known as the "Fitzroy Bond", and included frontages to both Quay and Little Quay Streets. By the 1880s, the differential settlement of the soil around the foundations of the buildings on the Customs House site led to major structural problems. Repair work was undertaken at the recommendation of the Queensland Colonial Architect . However, this work failed to rectify

12614-434: Was constructed soon after. To secure adequate foundations for the building, Brady adopted a pile and rail method, whereby wooden piles 30 feet (9.1 m) by 18 inches (460 mm) were driven into the ground, with 28 pounds (13 kg) iron shoes driven to a depth of 20 feet (6.1 m), cut off at ground level, then tied on each side with rows of steel rails, with the tops of the piles and rails embedded in concrete. This

12733-494: Was converted into a Laboratory, and the stable and coach building was converted to provide animal pens for use by the Department of Health. A toilet block was also provided in 1923 along the northern boundary adjacent to the stables. Further adaptations to the interior of the Customs House reflect the tenancy of the building by various Government departments. In the 1960s, the Department of Labour and National Service had become

12852-435: Was established in 1879. Up to 1500 workers, many who resided in Townsville would work at the factory. It helped to build up the economy of Townsville. Jack Flowers was a local of Townsville and started working at Alligator Creek when he was 13 years old (in 1913). He worked there for 58 years and would walk from Townsville to Alligator Creek. In 1915 the train line extended from Townsville out to Alligator Creek and in 1946 there

12971-458: Was followed by the relocation of St Raphael's college for women. A large modernist building was established. In March 1962, first year university students painted the stick figure depicting The Saint on Castle Hill as a prank. In 1971 Cyclone Althea with flooding slowed progress of infrastructural building, but by 1972 James Cook University was established, with ecru academic gowns, quite different to those of older universities. From 1961, only

13090-493: Was intended as a method to create a stable environment for the foundations of the building. As a result of this planning for the foundations, the building basement was situated above ground level and was to be utilised as the Queens' warehouse. The building was constructed from Stanwell freestone dressings to the front and sides and a rendered brickwork superstructure. A reserve for quarry purposes had been gazetted at Stanwell for

13209-591: Was introduced in 1971 to offices on the southern side of both levels. Decreasing importance of the Customs Department saw it being limited in space to an area of the Queen's warehouse, and bond store. The Commonwealth Employment Service Regional office occupied the ground floor. In 1986 all employees of the Federal Government departments resident in the Customs House vacated the building and transferred to newly constructed offices. In May 1987

13328-430: Was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 7 February 2005 having satisfied the following criteria. The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history. The Customs House, constructed in 1899, is significant as it represents the development of Rockhampton as the regional centre of central Queensland and in particular Rockhampton's role as the principal port of this region. At

13447-460: Was officially proclaimed a port by the Government of New South Wales (the separation of Queensland did not occur until 1859). The collection of Customs duties and the storage of bonded goods was carried out in a prefabricated timber building which was despatched from the Government of New South Wales. A reserve was declared where the Customs House of 1899 was built, and another timber building

13566-507: Was opened at a time when rivalry between Gladstone and Rockhampton was fierce and Rockhampton businesses were attempting to block construction of a trunk railway line between the two ports from the south. Rockhampton had been faced with a major deficiency as a port by being situated on the tidal Fitzroy River . Dredging programs were necessary to maintain a navigable channel to the sea. Construction of deep water ports at Broadmount and Port Alma both failed to rectify this problem of providing

13685-602: Was overshadowed by the construction of deep water bulk handling facilities at Gladstone starting in the 1960s and accelerating through the 1970s and 1980s. The Rockhampton river port and town wharves were closed to shipping in 1966. With a diminishing role in the activities of the Customs Service in the river port, the Customs House was adapted for uses other than the traditional collection of duties and storage of dutiable goods. The ancillary buildings of Customs House have been altered to reflect this adaptation. The Bond Store

13804-563: Was re-elected as Mayor of Townsville. She was re-elected in the 2020 Queensland local government elections. In the unicameral Queensland Parliament five electorates cover the Townsville Region: The majority of the population of Townsville is represented in the Australian House of Representatives by Phillip Thompson of the Liberal National Party , reelected as the member for the Division of Herbert at

13923-465: Was shipwrecked from the Peruvian , living in the Townsville area among the Bindal people for 17 years before deciding to return to British society when the frontier of colonisation came to the region. In 1860, George Elphinstone Dalrymple led a maritime expedition to the region from Brisbane. The expedition sailed to Cleveland Bay , finding a very numerous Aboriginal population. They landed on

14042-463: Was thought that new public buildings constructed in Rockhampton should be equal in prominence and design to those constructed in Brisbane , the capital of Queensland. In 1889 a large new Customs House was constructed in Brisbane and therefore the new Customs Houses throughout Queensland, and particularly those planned for Rockhampton and Townsville , would reflect the high standard of this building and

14161-528: Was unavailable. Temporary premises were sought for Customs staff for three years until repairs could be made. Brady was aware of the need for a new building but was also aware of the reduced spending of the Colonial Government to cover new projects as a result of the depression. Despite more alterations and repairs, major structural problems had reappeared by 1897. With accommodation in the Customs House untenable by this stage, tenders were called for

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