Anzac Memorial Park and adjacent Banyan trees

This beautiful location along the foreshore of The Strand has been a place of recreation since the settlement of Townsville in the 1860s. In 1912, the area between King and Howitt Streets was formalised as The Strand Park. One of the driving forces behind this development was John Henry Tyack, owner of the Queens Hotel from 1899 to 1913, which overlooked the park. He was also an alderman between 1906 and 1913 and mayor in 1912. He had commissioned the elaborate rebuilding of the Queens Hotel from 1901 and later hired the same architect, A B Polin, to design the park bandstand to complement the hotel. Tyack died in July 1913 and the bandstand was dedicated to his memory. It was originally located on the site of the 1959 Queensland Centenary Fountain. The park was the focus of Anzac Day memorial ceremonies from the 1920s, and in 1924 a memorial clock-tower was unveiled. In 1926, the park was extended by six acres and stone-pillared entrance gates were built. The name was changed to Anzac Memorial Park in 1934. Many trees were uprooted during Cyclone Althea in 1971. Replanting and redesign of the park and its memorials has been ongoing.