Town Common is a coastal suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia.[2] In the 2021 census, Town Common had "no people or a very low population".[3]
| Town Common Townsville, Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Town Common, 1892 | |||||||||||||||
  Town Common | |||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 19°13′14″S 146°44′24″E / 19.2205°S 146.7400°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 3 (SAL 2021)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4810 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 37.6 km2 (14.5 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
| ||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | City of Townsville | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Townsville | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Herbert | ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
It is locally known as "The Common".[4]
Geography
editTown Common is bounded by the Bohle River to the west, by the Coral Sea to the north-west and east, and Townsville Airport (Garbutt) to the south. Most of the land is flat and at sea level with the exception of Mount Marlow (19°11′31″S 146°44′27″E / 19.1919°S 146.7409°E) in the Many Peaks Range in the north-east of the suburb which rises to 213 metres (699 ft).[5][6][7] The land in the suburb is mostly undeveloped with much of land contained within the Townsville Town Common Conservation Park (19°12′23″S 146°44′35″E / 19.2064°S 146.7431°E).[8][9] The western part of the suburb is a floodplain created by a mangrove-lined network of tributaries of the Bohle River.[10]
Shelly Beach (19°10′51″S 146°44′58″E / 19.1809°S 146.7494°E) is at the northern coast of the suburb, but is not accessible by road.[6]
The developed land is in the south-east of the locality consists of a golf course, the Garden Settlement Aged Care Village on Cape Pallarenda Road (19°13′02″S 146°46′34″E / 19.2171°S 146.7760°E), and a park.[11]
The golf course is irrigated with treated waste water from the Mount St John Wastewater Treatment Plant in Mount St John.[12]
History
editThe wetlands and lowlands of Town Common the result of sand dune formation and water catchment drainage processes including erosion and sedimentation over thousands of years. Town Common was gazetted in 1869 as common land for the people of Townsville (established in 1864). In 1900 part of the wetlands was established as a sanitary reserve. In 1914 a pasturage reserve was established.[13]
In August 2016, Blue Care who operated the aged care village opened a new facility at Mount Louisa and transferred the existing aged care village residents to this new location. The structure of the aged care village remains abandoned in Town Common.[14]
Demographics
editIn the 2011 census, Town Common had a population of 163 people. The median age of the residents was 81 years, reflecting that the only residential land in the suburb is an aged care village.[15][10]
In the 2016 census, Town Common had a population of 71 people with a median age of 85 years, being residents of the aged care village.[16]
In the 2021 census, Town Common had "no people or a very low population", due to the aged care centre closing.[3]
Education
editThere are no schools in Town Common. The nearest government primary school is Belgian Gardens State School in Belgian Gardens to the south-east. The nearest government secondary school is Townsville State High School in Railway Estate to the south-east.[10]
Amenities
editRobertson Park is along the coast off Cape Pallarenda Drive (19°12′49″S 146°46′34″E / 19.2137°S 146.7762°E)[17]
Rowes Bay Golf Club is in Emmerson Street (19°13′37″S 146°46′31″E / 19.2270°S 146.7754°E).[11]
References
edit- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Town Common (suburb and locality)". Australian Census 2021 QuickStats. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
- ^ "Town Common – suburb in City of Townsville (entry 44647)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Town Common (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ "Revitalising the Townsville Town Common" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- ^ "Mountain peaks and capes - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Mountain ranges beaches and sea passages - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Mount Marlow – mountain in Townsville City (entry 21031)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- ^ "Townsville Town Common Regional Park". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- ^ "Townsville Town Common Conservation Park – conservation park in the City of Townsville (entry 51498)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ a b c "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ a b "Rowes Bay Golf Club | Townsville, North Queensland". Rowes Bay Golf Club. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "Mount St John Wastewater Treatment Plant" (PDF). Townsville City Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 April 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "People and History of Town Common". www.creektocoral.org. Archived from the original on 18 April 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
- ^ Raggatt, Tony (2 August 2016). "Blue Care expanding". Townsville Bulletin. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Town Common (SSC)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Town Common (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "Land for public recreation - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 20 November 2020. Archived from the original on 22 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
Further reading
edit- Garnett, Stephen; Cox, Jim (1983). Birds of the Townsville Town Common. S.T. Garnett and J.A. Cox. ISBN 978-0-9592593-0-8.
- Rowlett, Ursula; Cox, Jim (1982). Water plants of the Townsville Town Common. Printed by T. Willmett.
External links
edit
Media related to Town Common, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons