Castle Hill, Queensland

Castle Hill is a huge pink granite monolith standing in the heart of the north Queensland city of Townsville. It rises to a height of some 286 metres above sea level and dominates the skyline of this relatively low level city which is built on the coastal plain between the Great Dividing Range and the sea. Castle Hill has formerly also been known locally as Mount Cootharinga - a name of aboriginal origin. There are a number of vantage points from which to view the city below and also across Cleveland Bay to nearby Magnetic Island. Many people walk up Castle Hill for regular exercise. There are many different routes to the top, by road or by goat track. A large white stick figure with a halo nick-named by locals as 'the Saint' can be spotted painted on the sheer east face of the hill. 'The Saint' is a recognised icon of Townsville. [ [http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200203/s506796.htm Castle Hill's less than saintly artists come forward. 18/03/2002. ABC News Online ] ] The east face is composed of decomposing granite which has proven too crumbly to provide reliable anchors and has thus thwarted several climbing attempts over the years.

WW2 history

During WW2 the slopes of Castle Hill that faced Rowes Bay and the Strand, were used to locate some defensive machine gun emplacements and heavy artillery were installed in the surrounding area. The road up Castle Hill was closed to traffic on 12 March 1942 to ensure that the construction of military facilities such as the Green Street Bunker were not obvious. The erection of the above-ground Green Street Bunker (Project 81) at West End (near Sidney St.) was approved on 12 March 1942. Unconfirmed reports indicate approval was given for the construction of an underground Area Combined Headquarters in Castle Hill in 1943. [ http://home.st.net.au/~dunn/ozatwar/castlehill.htm Tunnels/Bunkers under Castle Hill in World War 2. Accessed 2006-08-11.]

Gallery

References

ee also

* Military history of Australia during World War II
* North Eastern Area Command HQ, Townsville