RED BRICK TUNNELS
IN TOWNSVILLE CBD AREA
WERE THEY USED DURING WW2?

There are a number of red brick tunnels under the Townsville CBD area.

One of these red brick tunnels tunnels starts adjacent to the Victoria Bridge and runs up towards Castle Hill. It is a large red brick storm water drain which caused a lot of problems when the Flinders Street Mall was being built. Parts of the new Mall started to subside. There is another red brick tunnel that runs up the hill almost the full length length of Stanley St. The Townsville City Council installed lights in that tunnel to enable extensive repairs to be carried out to the brickwork.

Some time in 2002, during some construction work at the "Brewery" (the old Townsville Post Office) at the end of the Flinders Street Mall, workers located a red brick tunnel. They were told that it was an old tunnel used in WW2, and that apparently there was a tunnel that linked it to Customs House on the Strand. The tunnel under the "Brewery" was in very bad shape and part of it had collapsed making it impossible to investigate any further. 

When Lowths Hotel was being re-built on the corner of Flinders and Stanley St. in the early 1970's the construction of the basement was delayed because of problems caused by the red brick tunnel which the council had no record of. The thought that it was an old stormwater drain from Castle Hill. 

The Townsville City Council could find no plans for these tunnels and it is thought they may have been built in the late 1800's or very early 1900's.

There have been rumours that some of these tunnels may have been used to access either other tunnels or certain strategic buildings during WW2. Or used as an emergency escape route from these other locations.

WWII Bunker Tour of Townsville

Can anyone help me with the history of these tunnels?

And were they used in any way during WW2?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Hayley Barton and Rod Houston for their assistance with this home page.

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 13 May 2003

This page last updated 18 January 2020