Queens Gardens

Townsville’s Botanic Gardens was proclaimed on 14 June 1870. Honouring Queen Victoria, the site was known as Queens Park. The 4ha site is now bounded by Paxton and Gregory Streets. It is a tenth of its original size. Land has been resumed from the original gardens site for a number of public functions including a cricket club, croquet club, gaol reserve, lunatic asylum and a bowling club. The first curator, William Anderson, was appointed in 1878. A cottage was built for him on-site, which he occupied until his retirement in 1934. A new cottage was built and Anderson’s cottage became a nursery. In 1880 the gardens were placed under the control of trustees, including Thomas Allen Gulliver Junior, previously employed by Baron Von Mueller, at the Melbourne Botanic Gardens. Trees were supplied by the Acclimatisation Society from Le Thozet’s gardens in Rockhampton and from Walter Hill at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. The central avenue, with line of sight to Castle Hill, was a design feature by 1890. In 1959 the Townsville City Council employed Alan Wilson, former Brisbane City Assistant Landscape Architect, to redesign the gardens: renamed Queens Gardens to honour Queen Elizabeth II.