Lost but not forgotten: 10 Townsville treasures
In the 1960s to the 1980s, Townsville went from working-class town to tourism destination. Unfortunately, many of them didn’t stand the test of time. We take a look at 10 of Townsville’s lost tourism treasures.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, Townsville went from a working-class town to tourism destination thanks to passionate people with plenty of foresight who created some truly magnificent opportunities. Unfortunately, many of them didn’t stand the test of time. We take a look at 10 of Townsville’s lost tourism treasures.
1. Fantasy Island
A $1 million island fantasy sat at John Brewer Reef for one week in 1988.
Complete with palm trees, restaurants, souvenir shops and seven sheltered gazebos, Doug Tarca’s Fantasy Island was to cater for divers and snorklers, as well as hosting day trips from the mainland and guests from the nearby floating hotel.
The doughnut shaped island had an underwater observatory, an Institute of Marine Science weather station and a theatre.
Fantasy Island, moored just 800m from the Four Seasons floating Hotel, broke up in heavy seas around 11.30pm on May 30 and finally went under about 4pm on June 1.
At the time, Mr Tarca said he was disappointed at the loss.
“It was a revolutionary construction, it was new, it had never been tried before, but the design was sound,” Mr Tarca said.
It was built in Brisbane to strict Harbor and Marine Board classification but, on the tow north, was damaged by the action of the ocean inside the doughnut.
No one was injured when it went down.
2. Yellow submarine
The late Doug Tarca was a revolutionary in the North Queensland tourism industry. The entrepreneur was responsible for the design of the “Yellow Submarine”, officially named the MV Manta.
Mr Tarca came up with the revolutionary design, thought by some to be a world-first for coral reef viewing but never patented the idea.
He knew there were people who would never see the reef if they weren’t able to get below the surface.
So the Yellow Submarine, taking 50 people sitting shoulder to shoulder and back to back, looking through huge windows at thousands of fish and marvellous coral, came into being.
Mr Tarca designed and built the sub to complement the floating hotel on John Brewer Reef.
The MV Manta had its maiden voyage to the reef in 1983, leading the way for other vessels of its kind.
When the floating hotel moved to Vietnam the yellow sub came ashore.
Reef Link stopped running their expeditions in 1989.
The MV Manta was smashed up by heavy machinery in 2004 after sitting abandoned for years.
3. Tarca’s Coral Gardens
Doug Tarca, who was a professional diver in his early life, became passionate about conserving the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef and making those wonders available to the public.
After getting a permit to harvest coral, he opened Tarca’s Coral Gardens in South Townsville. It was an onshore coral display which featured fluorescent specimens and sold a range products made from shells and corals that he painted himself. He was bringing much of the shell in from diving expeditions in the Philippines. While Tarca tried to explain to people that the coral on the Reef was not vibrant like those he painted, the perception of a highly colourful reef continues to this day.
4. Reef Link
In 1983, Doug Tarca launched Reef Link. It was the first daily tourism service between Townsville and the Great Barrier Reef.
Guests travelled by catamaran to pontoons, moored at John Brewer Reef. They were able to swim, sunbathe, snorkel and scuba dive with the highlight a ride on the Yellow Submarine.
In July 1987, flames engulfed the $2.7 million catamaran Reef Link II about 5km from shore as it crossed Cleveland Bay toward Magnetic Island. As the vessel caught fire, 53 passengers were forced to jump into the sea off Townsville. Despite the fire, both catamarans are still operational.
5. Floating hotel
The final crowing jewel in Doug Tarca’s tourism dream was a floating hotel on the Great Barrier Reef.
The tourism entrepreneur, former trochus shell diver and gold miner was determined to create a place where visitors could spend a night or two while diving, snorkelling, fishing or just experiencing the reef.
The 200-room, seven-storey Four Seasons Barrier Reef Hotel arrived in early 1988 after a piggyback ride from Singapore on a huge special-purpose carrier.
A cyclone blew up soon after it had been placed in the middle of the reef and, despite all kinds of dire predictions as to what would happen to it in such an intense storm, it survived with the loss of nothing more than a floating pontoon or two.
While Mr Tarca conceived the idea, by the time the floatel arrived, it was owned by Barrier Reef Holdings, based in Sydney.
His original idea was for the hotel to act as a base for his two big Reef Link catamarans on their daily tourist trips out to the reef.
But the floating hotel soon began to struggle financially following its opening year and was relocated to Ho Chi Minh City in 1989. It stayed there until 1997 when it was bought by North Korea and placed near the border between North and South Korea.
The Fantasy Island and floating hotel ideas all grew out of a couple of pontoons he anchored on John Brewer Reef in 1982 when he began his high-speed catamaran trips at the start of the tourism boom.
The cat would head for John Brewer, which Mr Tarca reckoned was the best on the entire reef, and day trippers transferred to the pontoons which were furnished like tropical mini-islands, complete with tables and chairs with umbrellas and cocktail bars.
It was an unexpected and fun thing to come across in the middle of the ocean.
From there, Mr Tarca began refining his ideas until he ended up with the concept of a floating hotel and a glass-bottomed submarine for coral viewing.
6. Dean Street Sound Shell
In 1966, council was thinking about the future entertainment needs of the city and so the Dean Park Sound Shell was conceived. It was hoped the facility would be used for the 1970 Pacific Festival.
In 1969 council built a 16-foot (4.8m) high embankment. A concrete stage and dressing rooms were added six years later.
In 1980, a tensioned polyester roof was added over the stage and a contract was awarded for new toilets, dressing rooms and a ticket office.
But critics said the Sound Shell had languished as an ugly sister since the opening of the Civic Theatre in 1978.
During its time as the city’s premier entertainment venue, the Sound Shell, which could hold 5000 people, played host to Sherbert with Daryl Braithwaite, Skyhooks, Don McLean, Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil, INXS, David Gulpilil, John Farnham, Jimmy Barnes, Slim Dusty, Charlie Pride, George Thorogood, Joe Cocker, Yothu Yindi, Savage Garden and Silver Chair.
David Gration, who managed both venues during the 1980s, blamed rising insurance costs, complaints about noisy concerts and the demise of promoters after the stock market crash of 1987.
His successor, John du Feu, assessed the venue as defunct when he arrived from Sydney in 1992.
Interviewed by the Bulletin in 2004, du Feu recalled any hope of a revival had vanished with the opening of the Entertainment Centre in 1993, with room for the crowds sought by promoters of international acts.
The facility was flattened in 2004 for a public car park.
7. Panorama House
During its time as Townsville’s loftiest address, Panorama House was the venue of choice for everything from weddings and theatrical performances to fitness classes.
Panama House sat on one of the highest plots of land in Townsville.
Before its eventual closure and demolition, the site belonged to Hong Kong businessman Ming Kong Chan, former owner of the Plaza Hotel.
Mr Chan proposed building a cable car to the site in the early 1990s but could not find an Australian business partner.
Lobby group Friends of Castle Hill vehemently opposed the idea.
Under a rare deal Townsville City Council took ownership of the site and the 50-year lease over the adjacent car park in exchange for 9.5 hectares of low-lying land at Cluden.
Then Mayor Les Tyrell said the innovative plan would ensure the only two privately held sites near the summit of Castle Hill were in the hands of the community and protected from inappropriate development.
Townsville City Council had hoped to restore Panorama House but that proved impractical after the building was badly damaged in Cyclone Yasi.
Panorama House was eventually demolished and in 2021, council launched a new entertainment space on the site with panoramic views of the city.
8. Willows Water World
There was no cooler destination than Willows Water World back in the 1980s. Built by the Battle family on the site of the current Willows Shopping Centre, the water park included water slides, hot spa, toboggan rides, barbecue area and toddlers pool. There were also Ferrari racing car rides and bumper boats. The area was the place to be for those who loved to have fun with a skating rink close by on the site of the current Shell service station on Thuringowa Drive.
9. Flinders Street Mall
Construction of Flinders Street Mall began in 1979. The Mall was designed to compete with the growing number of suburban shopping centres.
When it was first built, the Mall featured fountains, trees, play equipment, a covered bridge with cafe as well as a centre stage to complement the diverse range of shops. But the Mall fell out of favour in the late ‘90s and early 2000s, especially after the closure of David Jones in 1993.
In 2008, then Mayor Les Tyrell announced a plan to reopen the Mall to traffic. His plan was realised in 2011.
10. Townsville IMAX
For 25 years Townsville was home to country’s only IMAX Dome Theatre. After opening in 1987, the facility showed more than 80 education films during its years of operating at the Great Barrier Reef Wonderland, later to be known as Reef HQ.
At the time of its closing in 2012, poor patronage was blamed for the demise of the facility.
More Coverage
Originally published as Lost but not forgotten: 10 Townsville treasures
FULL LIST: Your guide to NQ candidates in the 2024 State Election
As campaigning gears up ahead of October 26, check out who is hoping to win your vote in the electorates across Townsville and beyond PLUS where to vote early >>
‘I never have people criticise me’: Mayor lashes out at ‘election stunt’
Councillors voted to keep parking in the CBD, stop plans for meters at The Strand, and chose a permanent CEO as the mayor gave an update on his deadline to respond to a 12-month suspension notice.