Victoria Park Hotel

Story

Victoria Park Hotel is a heritage-listed hotel at 266 Boundary Street, South Townsville, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Tunbridge & Tunbridge and built from 1895 to 1896 by Jeremiah Dempsey. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992.HistoryThe Victoria Park Hotel is the second hotel constructed on this site and was opened in 1896. It was designed by the Townsville architectural firm of Tunbridge and Tunbridge, and was constructed by local builder Jeremiah Dempsey.Townsville was established in 1864 by partners John Melton Black and Robert Towns and was gazetted as a port of entry in 1865. It grew quickly as a supply centre and by 1873 the port was receiving international as well as coastal traffic. Improvements were carried out to port facilities to allow larger ships to anchor. By 1880 Townsville was the port for several major goldfields and had opened the first stage of the Great Northern railway line westwards through Charters Towers and beyond, consolidating its importance as a port and mercantile centre.South Townsville was the second area settled in Townsville and soon had a number of hotels, houses and a hospital. By 1890 the suburb had grown substantially. In an era when private transport was expensive and public transport scarce, working people lived near their work. The presence of the Cleveland Foundry, railway and boat building workshops and other industries therefore attracted families to the south side of Ross Creek. Further development between 1890–95, including the establishment of Rooney & Company's sawmill and workshop, Victoria Foundry and the Ross River Meatworks, brought a further influx of people to live in South Townsville.