Old Townsville railway station

Old Townsville
Great Northern Railway Station during post-war victory celebrations on 10 June 1946
Location	Flinders Street, Townsville
Coordinates	Coordinates: 19°15′50″S 146°48′52″E / 19.2638°S 146.8145°E
Owned by	Queensland Rail
Operated by	Traveltrain
Line(s)	North Coast
Construction
Structure type	Ground
History
Opened	24 December 1913
Closed	May 2003

Townsville railway station formerly the Great Northern railway station, is a three-storey, red brick structure on Flinders Street in Townsville CBD, Queensland, Australia. The original terminus for The Great Northern Railway, the station became an important in the economic growth of Townsville during the early 20th century. The building is featured in a number of famous photos taken at celebrations of victory following World War II. A new station to service Townsville was built in the early 21st century and the platform is used for displays of historical photographs and articles. The building still houses Queensland Rail administrative offices.^[1]

Building

Constructed in a style similar to the great 19th century railway stations of Europe and Great Britain, the three-storey red brick structure sits on the corner of Flinders and Blackwood Streets at the western end of the Townsville CBD. The front facade of the building features balustraded verandas on the first and second storeys of the building's front facade with two prominent gabled extrusions from the main structure which identify the passenger and administrative entrances the building. The front facade of the building also features a large awning supported by large iron brackets. The main roof of the structure is hipped with a number of small side-structures at the eastern end of the building also featuring hipped roofs. A four-storey brick addition was attached to the western end of the building in 1965 and features a distinctly different architectural style to the rest of the structure.^[2]

Few of the building's original features remain intact. However, the former ticket hall features all its original fittings, including tiled floors and walls as well as an honour board for railway workers who died in World War I. The female toilets on ground floor also contain an original, though repainted, pressed metal ceiling. Most of the administrative areas of the building have been refitted over the years to assimilate to the needs of modern office usage. However, a large internal square stairwell with stick balustrading is still intact, as well as the large french doors with glass fanlights which open onto the verandas on the upper levels of the structure.^[2]

History

Designed by an architectural draftsman in the government railway department, Vincent Price, the building was constructed between 1910 and 1913, and was officially opened on 24 December 1913. It replaced an existing station of significantly smaller scale only a few hundred meters to the west near the corner of Flinders and Jones Streets. It was designed as a terminus for The Great Northern Railway and housed the general manager and other ancillary staff of the company. The station operated through the Second World War playing a significant role in the movement of goods too and from Townsville, a major military base during that period.

It has been placed on the state's its heritage register.^[2]

Closure

The station was closed when the Townsville railway station was opened in 2003.^[3][4] At this time, rail tracks through the city centre were removed.^[5]

References

1. State could hand over old rail station to council Townsville Bulletin 15 April 2014
2. "Townsville Railway Station and North Yards Railway Workshops (entry 600906)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
3. Chronogical History of Townsville, 1970 to 2003 Townsville City Council
4. Tilt trainon track at new Townsville station ABC News 12 June 2003
5. Railway Digest November 2002