Like so many old central business districts , Townville 's once thriving area is a sad sight in parts , with vacant shops, numerous for lease signs , substantial buildings from the boom days when Townsville was the so called Queen City of the North crying out for occupants.
The rundown state of the Townsville CBD was recently mentioned in the Queensland parliament , the Townsville City Council's updated building codes said to be hampering rejuvenating the area.
Dark parts of the CBD would frighten the pants off Jack the Ripper, according to one critic with a vivid imagination .
In Flinders Street , once described as the Wall Street of North Queensland, the depressed state of the CBD is highlighted by what used to be the busy Dimmey's Arcade , which housed one of the now defunct Victorian company's chain of stores. It has been decribed as crumbling , mould visible .
Nearby is a plaque recording " a unique moment in Australian history"-the September 17 1901 event in which an Australian flag , made by sailmaker William McKenzie, was unfurled for the first time by the visiting Governor-General , Lord Hopetoun , at the new town hall.
Not far away is the long closed impressive Bank of New South Wales bearing a sold sign .
A plaque says it was constructed in 1935 , the third built by the bank in Townsville. Founded in 1817 , the bank was closely associated with Robert Towns, co- founder of Townsville, and a director of the bank ..
