North Ward is a coastal

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

in the

City of Townsville The City of Townsville is a local government area (LGA) located in North Queensland, Australia. It encompasses the city of Townsville, together with the surrounding rural areas. To the south are the communities of Alligator Creek, Woodstock a ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. In the , North Ward had a population of 5,073 people. The suburb is one of the oldest in the city but has undergone significant development over many decades. It is home to some of the city's top attractions including The Strand, the waterpark, and the rockpool.

Geography

North Ward is home to the beachside area known as The Strand, which overlooks

Magnetic Island Magnetic Island ( Wulguru: ''Yunbenun'') is an island offshore from the city of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. This mountainous island in Cleveland Bay has effectively become a suburb of Townsville. The island is accessible from Townsvi ...

. The land is mostly flat at close to sea level except for Stanton Hill in the south of the locality () which rises to 60 metres. Kissing Point is a headland at the most northerly part of North Ward.

North Ward Road Townsville road network is a group of roads that provide access to the urban areas of Townsville in Queensland, Australia, and enable travel between the communities. Most of the roads retain their original road or street names, and are not well kn ...

(Warburton Street) runs through from north-west to south-east.

History

North Ward is among Townsville's oldest suburbs, dating to the 1870s. Townsville Central State School opened on 11 March 1869. It celebrated its centenary in 1969. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School was established on 29 March 1873 by the

Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, often called the Josephites or Brown Joeys, are a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Mary MacKillop (1842–1909). Members of the congregation use the postnominal initials RSJ (Religious Sis ...

. Following argument between the sisters and the parish priest Father Connolly, the Sisters of St Joseph left Townsville in March 1878.The Queenslander, 30 March 1878, p.5 The

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute for women in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. In 2019, the institute had about 6,200 Religious sister, sisters worldwide, organized into a number ...

arrived in November 1878 to take over the operation of the school.Townsville Herald, 9 November 1878 Townsville Grammar School opened on 16 April 1888. It celebrated its centenary in 1988. The Townsville Golf Club is the oldest golf club in Queensland, having been established at Kissing Point in 1893. The club relocated to

Aitkenvale Aitkenvale is a suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the , Aitkenvale had a population of 4,797 people. Geography Aitkenvale is a major commercial and residential district of the city. The suburb is home t ...

in 1921, and then relocated to Rosslea in 1924. St Patrick's College was establied by the Sisters of Mercy on 1 January 1904. Townsville Hospital School provided primary school education for children in the

Second Townsville General Hospital The Second Townsville General Hospital is a heritage-listed former hospital and now an apartment building at 24 Eyre Street, North Ward, Townsville, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Donoghue & Fulton and built fro ...

using a teacher from the Cootharinga Special School. The school opened on 26 August 1974 and closed on 31 March 1994. It was also known as the Cootharinga Special School Hospital Annexe, Townsville Hospital Special School, and Townsville Hospital State School.

Demographics

In the , North Ward had a population of 5,097 people. In the , North Ward had a population of 5,065 people. In the , North Ward had a population of 5,073 people.

Heritage listings

North Ward has a number of

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and human-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In ma ...

sites, including: * 24 Cleveland Terrace: Selhurst (house) * 24 Eyre Street:

* Fryer Street: St Josephs Church * 11 Fryer Street:

Yongala Lodge Yongala Lodge is a heritage-listed detached house at 11 Fryer Street, North Ward, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Rooney Brothers and was built by the Rooney Brothers from to 1930s. It is also known as Lister Pr ...

* 38-40 Howitt Street: Kissing Point Fortification * 4-6 Oxley Street: former

North Ward Defence Complex North Ward Defence Complex is a heritage-listed barracks at 46 Oxley Street, North Ward, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1885 to . It is also known as 11 Brigade Administration Support Battalion Headquarters Compan ...

* Paxton Street:

Queens Gardens Queens Gardens or Queen's Gardens may refer to: * Queen's Gardens, Kingston upon Hull – gardens in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England * Queen's Gardens (Croydon) – gardens in south London, England * Queen's Gardens, Westminster – gardens ...

* Paxton Street:

School House, Townsville Grammar School School House at Townsville Grammar School is a heritage-listed school building at Paxton Street, North Ward, Queensland, North Ward, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Tunbridge & Tunbridge and built from 1903 to 190 ...

* Stanton Hill:

Townsville Astronomical Trigonometrical Station Townsville Astronomical Trigonometrical Station is a heritage-listed triangulation station at Stanton Hill, North Ward, Queensland, North Ward, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Robert Hoggan and built in 1891. It is ...

* 45 The Strand: St Patrick's Convent * 11 Victoria Street: Kardinia * 4-6 Warburton Street:

Townsville Central State School Townsville Central State School is a heritage-listed state school and former prison at 4–6 Warburton Street, North Ward, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built from 1877 to ...

Education

is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 4 Warburton Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 233 students with 18 teachers (15 full-time equivalent) and 14 non-teaching staff (10 full-time equivalent). St Joseph's Catholic School is a private primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at Fryer Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 363 students with 27 teachers (21.5 full-time equivalent) and 25 non-teaching staff (13.8 full-time equivalent).

Townsville Grammar School Townsville Grammar School is an independent, co-educational, day, International Baccalaureate and boarding school, located in Townsville. Established in 1888, it is the northernmost member of the Queensland grammar schools. From its foundati ...

is a private secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at 45 Paxton Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1193 students with 101 teachers (96 full-time equivalent) and 91 non-teaching staff (61 full-time equivalent). St Patrick's College Townsville is a Catholic secondary (7–12) school for girls at 45 The Strand (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 407 students with 47 teachers (41 full-time equivalent) and 26 non-teaching staff (20 full-time equivalent).

Amenities

There are a number of parks in the area: * Ben Bloom Park () * Castle Hill Road Park () *

() * Queens Park () * Sister Kenny Park () * The Strand Park () Sport: *

Townsville Sports Reserve Townsville Sports Precinct is a multi-use sports precinct located in Townsville, Australia. With redevelopments completed in early 2022, the venue now offers three indoor multipurpose courts, multiple fields and athletics facilities with a main ...

References

External links

University of Queensland: Queensland Places:North Ward
{{Suburbs of Townsville Suburbs of Townsville