Townsville was founded in 1864 as a port for the fledgling pastoral industry in North Queensland. Following the discovery of gold in the immediate hinterland at Ravenswood and then Charters Towers, the town developed into the principal centre and de facto capital of North Queensland.

In terms of heritage, Townsville is an important city with a uniquely Australian tropical character. The Townsville City Council, through the Heritage and Urban Planning Unit, recognises the city's character, identity and image is critically linked to its older buildings and seeks to encourage and assist owners of such buildings in restoring and sympathetically altering these historic buildings.

Despite the changes in the built environment, places reflecting the city's development and evolution as a provincial centre remain.

The Heritage and Urban Planning Unit also conducts a series of programs which aim to enrich the character of Townsville and the lives of its residents.

• Architectural Advisory Service
  To encourage and assist building owners to restore and undertake sympathetic alterations to historic buildings the Council has established an Architectural Advisory Service of local architects administered through the Heritage and Urban Planning Unit and the Heritage Officer.
• Community Heritage Grants Program
   The Community Heritage Grants Program aims to develop conservation strategies for places of significance, undertake conservation work to significant places, undertake research projects enlarging the body of knowledge about a particular topic of Townsville's history and results in publication, and undertake the conservation of artefacts held in a public collection.
• A Brief History of Suburb Names

The Townsville and Thuringowa councils merged in 2008 to become one council under the title Townsville City Council. Prior to this amalgamation, both cities had a distinct but interconnected history.

For more information, please phone 1300 878 001 or contact the Heritage and Urban Planning Unit.