An
indication of the depressed
economic state of Townsville
is the report
that 20 businesses in a
main thoroughfare closed their
doors in the
past month . Did not rate a mention in the local media. Drive about the industrial areas of the city and in some places it looks like Detroit with so many empty premises for lease or sale . Even the new Murdoch Townsville Bulletin building is part empty , space for lease . In one of the main supermarkets, Castletown, the Chem
Mart site , above , flanking Woolworths , left this pill
spotted exterior behind when it
moved in to another nearby chemist shop, Friendlies , under
a partnership deal. The Friendlies chemist shop used to include a busy medical centre ,
but it was suddenly
closed, the medicos making less than friendly remarks about Friendlies. Closure of the medical centre did not rate a
mention in the local media . For several
months at Castletown an
empty shop , part of a national franchise , remained empty, a note thanking
past customers , saying that the couple who ran the
place
for 10 years wanted a rest. Many Townsville traders report slow or " very bad " business . Unemployment is high in the town and a poll shows that the three LNP based Townsville politicians, one a minister , are likely to be tipped out at the next election.
One longtime
businessman went so far as to say only now is Townsville experiencing the impact of the GFC.
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There is plenty of room on the totem pole and inside the newspaper office building which was built to replace the one that contained asbestos .
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