Townsville Central

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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 1880 by J Rooney. It is also known as the former Townsville Gaol and Residence of the Police Inspector. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 1 October 2003.HistoryThe Townsville Central State School, first established as the National School in 1869, was relocated to its present site in Warburton Street in 1955 and incorporates the remains of the first Townsville gaol which was established in 1878 and relocated to Stuart Creek in 1891 (where it is now known as the Townsville Correctional Centre).The GaolTownsville was proclaimed a municipality in 1865 with a population of approximately 100. By 1870, Townsville had become a major port in North Queensland with permanent infrastructure to support the needs of increasing population. The discovery of gold in Charters Towers and Ravenshoe contributed to the steady growth of Townsville, and with increased activity in the goldfields, criminal activity such as drunkenness, violence and vagrancy also escalated exceeding the capacity of the small timber police lock-up.