Old and new

Sale of NQ’S oldest hotels could rethink the link between Flinders St and The Strand

What a glorious long weekend all of Townsville gets to enjoy after the downpour on Friday morning. The Strand burst into life on Friday as the city enjoyed its day off, with kids swarming the water park and young families competing for a spot in the shade.

As beautiful as it is now, there’s still untapped potential for Townsville’s waterfront strip, and the Bulletin is excited to see what will be done with the 1.7ha surrounding the iconic Queen’s Hotel.

The Gold Coast based developers have pledged to maintain the vision of the Gleeson family for The Hive, which already won approvals from council in 2021.

The century old Queen’s Hotel is to be retained as construction reshapes the block around it — though the same cannot be said for the Criterion, which is sure to kick off a robust conversation.

The development could become the missing link between Flinders St and The Strand, linking up Townsville’s night life district with its beautiful beaches, and add some much needed residential apartments in the inner-city.

While families might still prefer a classic Queenslander to live in, more housing frees up older builds on the market, and everyone comes out on top.

On the subject of transformative infrastructure, Townsville’s long awaited $98m arts precinct is a subject of debate between Mayor Jenny Hill — who prefers Dean Park — and Councillor Fran O’callaghan — who is advocating for an upgraded Civic Theatre instead.

Cr O’callaghan came out swinging for the Civic Theatre, but until the business case examining the merits and downfalls of each site drops in June, the Bulletin believes any discussion is putting the cart before the horse.

Whichever venue is decided on, we hope the project is ambitious enough to leave visitors amazed when they visit this fine city.

We have a world-class stadium, and a world-class arts precinct would elevate Townsville to the next level.

Why should we settle for anything less?