1
24 Tuesday, July 16, 2013 Townsville Bulletin 25 Townsville Bulletin Tuesday, July 16, 2013 T’VILLE BUL Tue, Jul 16, 13 T’VILLE BUL Ed: Unit: Couple: Colour: K C M Y Page: 24 NOTES: TOWNSVILLE The Great Northern Railway The Townsville Railway Station stands proudly between Ross River and Flinders St, the remnant of a golden age or perhaps the herald of a greater one to come. The scene of countless farewells and homecomings, it officially opened in December 1913 confirming its role as the North’s major port. The new building, which replaced the original station opened in 1880, (a large iron shed on Flinders St), warranted a more substantial building to administer the expanding network. The first main section of the railway was the departure point for a five-hour journey to Charters Towers. Trains also ran to Ayr and Brisbane with the last section of the line to Mount Isa completed in 1929. STORIES: JENNA JOHNSTONE DESIGN: WAYNE SHIELDS WW2 (1939 - 1945) During World War II, the city was host to over 50,000 American and Australian troops and air crew, and it became a major staging point for battles in the South West Pacific. The city was bombed on three occasions by the Japanese, and was used as a major offensive launching base during the battle of the Coral Sea. The Great Northern railway station and surrounding depots blazed with life during the World War, with millions of soldiers travelling through Townsville on their way to and from the Pacific front. A large United States Armed Forces contingent supported the war effort from seven airfields and other bases around the city and in the region. World War II took a heavy toll on the fleet of 10 Qantas aircrafts, with five destroyed by enemy action and one crashing into Cleveland Bay. Townsville Airport The first airport in North Queensland was established in the 1920’s in the Thuringowa Shire south of the Ross River, in what is now the suburb of Murray. It was licensed as a civil airport by the Civil Aviation Branch in 1930, but was deemed unsatisfactory with only room for one east-west runway. In 1938 a larger site was selected within the City of Townsville, next to Ingham Rd and the North Coast Railway, for a new airport to be built. By 1940, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) had built a base alongside the new civil airport with Number 24 Squadron becoming the first operational unit to occupy the base. During 1942, the defence establishment in the Townsville region increased enormously with five other military airfields being built in the immediate vicinity of Townsville. The Inlander The 350,000 pound train consisted of steels cars, the first car powered by diesel generators to supply airconditioning, hot water, lighting and dining car kitchen equipment. There were three types of sleeping cats: first class with 14 sleeping berths in seven compartments, second class sleeping 24 people and seating capacity for 52 passengers, and the composite sleeping cars for 17 passengers. On February 1, the Inlander made an inaugural run from Brisbane to Toowoomba, and returned to showcase its modern amenities. The train made its way north to Townsville in early February, when it was delayed overnight at Home Hill by flooding. The Star of Townsville Queensland Air Navigation Ltd launched the service from Townsville to Brisbane on March 19, 1930, using an Avro Ten aircraft named The Star of Townsville. For its first flight the three-engine aircraft’s left at 6am from the Ross Plains aerodrome, between the river and Mount Stuart, carrying eight passengers, two pilots and a mechanic. The journey took about 10 hours including a refuelling stop in Rockhampton. Thuringowa Shire Council had reluctantly built the airstrip on a camping reserve about a year earlier. The Inlander at Townsville Railway station, 1953 s d g. Above, left: The Star of Townsville aircraft flew from Townsville to Brisbane in 1930 Photo: STATE LIBRARY OF QUEENSLAND Left: The Inlander leaves Charters Towers, 1953 Far left: The Great Northern Railway Station, 1915 Above: American soldiers on parade while being stationed in Townsville during WW2 Right: Painting depicting the Battle of the Coral Sea nsvi il lle Airpo ort Town International flights Rupert Murdoch, Sir Peter Abeles and Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen, the new owners of Ansett, joined the push for international flights to and from the North 30 years ago. The campaign succeeded with backing from all levels of government and 6000 signatures on a petition to the federal government. Townsville airport won international status in 1981, with the inaugural Townsville-Singapore flight departing as one of the first international flights Ansett had ever operated. In the same year the Townsville Airport was given $13m by the government-owned operator, Federal Airports Corporation, to construct and build a new state-of-the-art international terminal. With the new demand for international services, Townsville became the first regional Australian airport to offer direct long-distance international flights. Airlines providing direct services included Qantas, Ansett, Continental Micronesia, Garuda Indonesia, Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines (JAL). Destinations in Asia included Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong; Auckland and Honolulu in the Pacific; and the North American cities of San Francisco, and Los Angeles. 21st century The present railway station was opened in 2003 to replace the Old Townsville Railway Station (Great Northern Railway) in Flinders St and the rail tracks through the city centre were removed. The new Townsville Railway Station opened to accommodate the new Tilt Train service as well as several Queensland Rail passenger trains including The Inlander service to Mount Isa. The station is now a major hub for rail services in North Queensland, providing freight and services for the nearby army barracks, as well as the port and other regions of North Queensland. On February 14, 2005, Queensland Airports Limited (QAL) signed an agreement to acquire 100 per cent of the equity interests in Australian Airports (Townsville) Pty Limited. This sale was completed on March 15, 2005, with local airport being rebranded and renamed to Townsville Airport Pty Ltd (TAPL) in August. Today, Townsville Airport is North Queensland’s aviation hub with more than 1.6 million passengers annually. The airport is reported to have a continual passenger growth which is partly due to a significant increase in the proportion of passengers connecting to another flight after leaving Townsville. The local airport is operated under a Joint User Agreement with the Department of Defence. Additional direct routes both domestically and internationally cements Townsville’s position as key regional hub connecting Queensland and major cities throughout Australia. HISTORY SERIES Many weird and wonderful stories fill the rich transport history of Townsville, with myriad tales collected throughout the years. The history stretches back to when trains roared in and out of The Great Northern Railway Station and international flights were part of Townsville airport. However Townsville is perhaps best known today for its lack of international flights and commuter trains, instead relying on cars and buses to get around on a daily basis. Townsville travel
