Townsville - Old Districts

In the old districts around the harbor are many old private houses in typical Queensland style, built on stilts to promote the circulation of air and provide shade in the heat of the day but often so covered with a lush growth of vegetation that the open structure of the house is concealed. The deep roofed terraces and ventilation openings in the roof are also designed to mitigate the heat. Many such houses are to be seen in Castling Street.

The former Magistrates' Courthouse (1876) at the corner of Sturt Street and Stokes Street is now a community information center.

Another handsome relic of earlier times is the Victoria Bridge, a swing bridge over Ross Creek.

At the foot of Castle Hill (Stanley Street) is the brick-built neo-Gothic Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (1902).