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100th Anniversary of Settlement in TownsvillePrint Page 
The monument commemorates the 100th anniversary of the European settlement of Townsville.
The Burdekin River`s seasonal flooding made the establishment of a seaport north of the river essential to the nascent inland cattle industry. John Melton Black of Woodstock Station, an employee of Sydney entrepreneur and businessman Robert Towns, dispatched Andrew Ball, Mark Watt Reid and a detachment of 8 troopers of the Native Police under the command of John Marlow to search for a suitable site. Ball's party reached the Ross Creek in April 1864 and established a camp below the rocky spur of Melton Hill, near the present Customs House on The Strand.
The first party of settlers, led by W. A. Ross, arrived at Cleveland Bay from Woodstock Station on 5 November 1864. In 1866 Robert Towns visited for three days, his first and only visit. He agreed to provide ongoing financial assistance to the new settlement and Townsville was named in his honour.
Location
| Address: | The Strand, near junction of Wickham Street, ANZAC Park, near swings, Townsville, 4810 |
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| State: | QLD |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -19.255284 Long: 146.822976 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
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| Monument Theme: | Landscape |
| Sub-Theme: | Settlement |
| Approx. Event Start Date: | 1864 |
| Approx. Event End Date: | 1964 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 1st November, 1964 |
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Plaque:
This plaque commemorates the one hundredth anniversary of settlement in Townsville, and honours the four whose exertions gave birth to our city.
Robert Towns
The man of enterprise
Andrew Ball and Mark Watt Reid
The explorers
John Melton Black
The pioneer
1864 - 1964
Plaque:
Unveiled by His Excellency the Governor of Queensland Sir Henry Abel Smith K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O., D.S.C. on Anniversary Day, 1st November 1964.
