A Very Short History of Townsville.

History of Townsville

Townsville was founded in 1864 by Melton Black as a port for the fledgling pastoral industry in North Queensland. Following the discovery of gold in the immediate hinterland at Ravenswood and then Charters Towers, the town developed into the principal center and de-facto capital of North Queensland.

Traditional Landowners

Traditional owners and custodians, the Bindal and Wulgurukaba People are the first people to have lived in the Townsville region. When Europeans first arrived in Townsville, they presumed that no one occupied or owned the land because there were no boundaries, marked by farms or fences. However the Bindal and Wulgurukaba Peoples had been living here for many, many generations. Archaeological sites near Townsville have been dated over 10,000 years old.

The Bindal People

The Bindal people call the country “Thul Garrie Waja”. An important symbol for the Bindal people is the shooting star. They believe that wherever the star fell, or the the direction the star fell meant there was either danger coming or someone from that direction was in need of help or in danger.

The Wulgurukaba People 

The Wulgurukaba people call their country “Gurrumbilbarra” Wulgurukaba means “canoe people”. An important symbol of the Wulgurukaba people is the carpet Snake. Wulgurukabas creation story tells the story of the creation snake that comes down from the Herbert River, went out to sea creating the Hinchinbrook Channel and down to Palm and Magnetic Islands. His body broke up leaving parts along the coast. The tail of the snake is at Halifax Bay, his body is at Palm Island, While his head rests at Arcadia, Magnetic Island.

All the information here can be found @:http://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/townsville/heritage

For more information try going to :http://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/townsville/heritage/townsville/Pages/TraditionalLandowners.aspx