Townsville development site’s secret history unearthed

The site of a $6.2m development near the city centre has some stunning ties to North Queensland’s gold rush era. Check out the incredible links here.

The East End Boardwalk has a fascinating history.

The hidden history behind the site of a massive city centre development has been revealed.

The information relates to the site of the East End Boardwalk, a construction project along Flinders Street.

The project will have a 280m boardwalk erected along Ross Creek, running along the waterfront from Flinders Street East carpark to the Museum of Tropical Queensland.

Acting mayor Mark Molachino said the site once contained a bustling mercantile business with strong ties to North Queensland’s historical gold rush.

“Aerial photographs of the city show the location has been a carpark since 1985, but before that it was home to a bustling trading store called Burns, Philp and Co,” Cr Molachino said.

A historical photo of Burns, Philp and Co.

“In 1872 a young Scotsman called James Burns established a general store in Townsville to supply the North Queensland gold mining boom.

“A fire destroyed these stores in 1877 and so Burns bought a new and larger store and wharves on Flinders St from the trustees of the estate of Captain Robert Towns, the colonist founder of Townsville.”

The discovery of gold by Jupiter Mosman resulted in the birth of gold mining town Charters Towers.

The discovery of gold in North Queensland has been traced back to a young man by the name of Jupiter Mosman, who unearthed a chunk of gold-bearing quartz in 1871.

The boardwalk site even contains some links to some of Queensland’s former leaders, with it’s history etched into Townsville for over 100 years.

The East End Boardwalk today.

“In 1895 Burns and fellow Scot, Robert Philp – who later became Premier of Queensland - erected the Burns, Philp and Co building on the corner of Flinders and Wickham streets and in 1913 the warehouse extension was added along Flinders Street,” Cr Molachino said.

“Burns, Philp and Co had the building until 1977 with the warehouse and remaining wharf structures demolished in 1982 due to structural issues and water entering the building.

“This history is fascinating and shows how well-loved this historical Townsville area has been for well over 120 years.”

The $6.2m boardwalk project, which is set to connect up parts of the city as part of the Waterfront Priority Development Area, is anticipated to be fully finished in April.

“Council is committed to growing Townsville into a city that connects you with what you need, when you need it,” Cr Molachino said.

“I’m looking forward to seeing more hustle and bustle in the area with the new East End Boardwalk opening next year, helping to link key city centre locations like Flinders Street, Queensland Country Bank Stadium and Palmer Street.”

Originally published as Townsville development site’s secret history unearthed