Riverway is a riverfront parkland attraction located in the Condon Suburb of

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

that opened in July 2006. It stretches along of the Ross River, with areas at Pioneer Park, Loam Island, Apex Park and Ross Park at the

Ross River Dam The Ross River Dam is a rock and earthfill-filled embankment dam across the Ross River, located between Kelso and Mount Stuart in the City of Townsville in northern Queensland, Australia. Built initially for flood control, Lake Ross, the im ...

.About Riverway
/ref> The areas of Riverway that have been completed are Pioneer Park and Loam Island. Riverway is connected directly to the Thuringowa Central business district via a pathway along the foreshore.

Village Boulevard

Village Boulevard is the name of the road into Pioneer Park and forms the city/park integration. From the car park it extends through the park as a pedestrian spine that follows the rivers edge and forms the heart of Pioneer Park.

Tony Ireland Stadium

The

Tony Ireland Stadium The Riverway Stadium is an international standard cricket and AFL stadium in Thuringowa Central, Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The stadium is a part of the Riverway sporting and cultural complex. Facilities The stadium includes the oval, ...

is part of the second stage of Riverway and consists of an international standard

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

and

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

stadium with a capacity of 10,000+.

Riverway Arts Centre

Riverway Arts Centre is a geographical formation that is integrated into the surrounding parkland, without decreasing the available grassed area. It also lowers the interior temperature by reducing the roof surface temperature. The

Pinnacles Art Gallery Pinnacles Gallery is an art space located within the Riverway Arts Centre at Riverway, Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Its mission is "to make sure its programs are contemporary, engaging, accessible, interactive and enjoyable". Artists c ...

is also in this building. The

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

improvised music Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of immediate ("in the moment") musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous ...

trio,

The Necks The Necks are an Australian avant-garde jazz trio formed in 1987 by founding mainstays Chris Abrahams on piano and Hammond organ, Tony Buck on drums, percussion and electric guitar, and Lloyd Swanton on bass guitar and double bass. They play i ...

recorded their third

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, ''

'' (2007), at the Riverway Arts Centre.

Riverway's Village precinct

Riverway's Village precinct is a planned retail and dining strip with exclusive boutiques, gift shops, health and beauty salons and gourmet food outlets. Construction of this precinct is to commence in 2008/9.

History

Before what is now the Riverway, this area was a Camping Reserve for the army's R72 and after the future of Camping Reserve (Renamed R326) was being debated and had been left unused, the then Thuringowa Shire Council made a decision that the area remain un-subdivided for community use, and with the demand for recreational space growing, along with the Upper Ross population, this area was the best location.History
/ref> In 1970 poisoning and bulldozing of the Chinee Apple trees started, along with drainage works and mowing. The road that traveled along the river was closed to traffic and clubhouses and toilets were built on the site in 1971. It was a pre-war tradition to plant raintrees in the reserve and this was continued by the Thuringowa Council. These trees still stand today, shading the roadway into the Riverway. During the early 1970s the Thuringowa Council and residents entered into discussion's about what to name the reserve, suggestions including: Upper Ross Sports Complex, The Kirwan Sports Reserve, Vickers Park, Ross River Memorial Park and Upper Ross Memorial Park, however the Thuringowa Council officially named the reserve the Pioneer Sporting Complex in October 1971. Over the years, Pioneer Sporting Complex had many small upgrades and was and still is used by many sporting teams and clubs, and became better known as 'Pioneer Park',. However, as the population of

Thuringowa Thuringowa Central is a suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the Thuringowa Central had a population of 2,023 people. Geography Shaped like an inverted letter "T", Thuringowa Central consists of residen ...

was growing at a fast rate the need for more recreational activities in the area also increased.,

Construction

Riverway Stage One included the construction of two swimming lagoons, the Riverway Arts Centre, Pinnacles Gallery, the Riverwalk, public art, village spine and parklands. Stage Two involved the construction of the Riverway Stadium, now named the

. Stage Three is the area consisting of Apex Park and the Upper Ross Shopping Centre area.

Itara at Riverway

Itara at Riverway is a medium density residential development, consisting of 265 apartments which have helped to pay for the Riverway development.Itara Riverway > Home
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