THE STRAND, TOWNSVILLE, QLD
DURING WW2

The Strand is a beautiful beachfront road in the city of Townsville in north Queensland, Australia. 

Photo: Peter Dunn

View of the Rock Pool located at one end of the Strand and Cleveland Bay taken from Kissing
Point. Townsville Harbour and Cape Cleveland can be seen in the background - June 2003

During World War 2, The Strand was full of military activity. Starting at one end and moving through to the other there was:-

- Townsville Harbour

- Flying Boat Anchorage, Townsville Harbour

- HMAS Magnetic

- Queens Hotel (American Officer's Club)

- Customs House

- Machine Gun posts on the cliffs overlooking the Tobruk Baths

- WAAAF Barracks, St. Patrick's (Catholic) College (including Academy of the Little Flower)

- RAAF Recreation Centre

- Seaview Hotel (Australian Officers Club manned by AWAS)

- Coconut Grove Dance Hall

- 208th Anti Aircraft Battalion battery at The Strand Park

- Kissing Point bunker and Army Base

- Landing Ship Tanks (LST's) and Landing Craft Infantry, Large (LCI's) unloading at Kissing Point

Townsville in September 1945. The Strand is the road along the beach front.
Hover your mouse over the photo for links to some of the above sites

The US Army's 208th Anti Aircraft Battalion, set up their anti aircraft defences around Townsville, which included searchlights and 3 inch AA pieces. They had a battery of 3 inchers at a small park on a beachfront road called "The Strand" in the suburb of North Ward in Townsville. The battery at North Ward would have been in the area now occupied by the Strand Park. The 208th's Command Post was set up at the school in North Ward.

Anti-aircraft guns on The Strand, Townsville in 1942
these are probably the guns of the 208th Anti Aircraft Battalion, US Army

US Landing Craft Infantry Large, LCI (L) offload their cargo at Kissing Point on
The Strand in the location of today's Rock Pool (see colour photo above)

LST's unloading at Kissing Point  on The Strand
in the location of today's Rock Pool (see colour photo above)

Landing Craft Infantry Large, LCI (L),
unloading troops at Kissing Point
(284Kbytes)

An Australian 40mm L60 Bofors gun located in what is now Strand Park. The house under
the barrel is 100 Mitchell Street, North Ward, which was still there in November 2023.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to than Bruce Williams for his assistance with this web page.

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 20 November 2001

This page last updated 02 November 2023