Murray is a 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 ...

in the

City of Townsville The City of Townsville is a local government area (LGA) located in North Queensland, Australia. It encompasses the city of Townsville, together with the surrounding rural areas, to the south are the communities of Alligator Creek, Woodstock an ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. In the , Murray had a population of 1,491 people. It is not a conventional suburb, with the developed land in the suburb being within the Australian Army's Lavarack Barracks.

Geography

Bushmasters at Lavarack Barracks during Talisman Sabre 21

The suburb is bounded by University Road to the north. The southern parts of the suburb are on the slopes of Mount Stuart and are undeveloped. The northern part of the suburb is occupied by the Lavarack Barracks.

History

Murray is situated in the traditional Wulgurukaba Aboriginal country. The origin of the suburb name is from Lieutenant Colonel Henry William Murray who was awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

in 1917 for his actions during the Battle of the Somme. On 21 July 1939, with the Second World War looming, Murray volunteered for military service and was appointed as commanding officer of the 26th (Militia) Battalion, 11th Brigade, based in

; he was mobilised for full-time service on 21 October 1941. The 26th became an Australian Imperial Force unit in 1942, and in August Murray was removed from his post by General Sir Thomas Blamey, Commander in Chief Australian Military Forces, on the grounds of his advancing age. He was instead appointed to command the 23rd Queensland Regiment, Volunteer Defence Corps, which he led until his retirement from active duty on 8 February 1944. The suburb was named after Murray on 1 April 1969. In 1972, the Lavarack Golf Club opened at the barracks on land leased from

Australian Department of Defence Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

(). It was an 18-hole course and open to membership by the wider community. In December 2021, the golf club closed as the Department of Defence did not wish to renew the lease as it intended to redevelop the land as sporting and training facilities for defence force use. In the , Murray had a population of 1,491 people.

Education

There are no schools in Murray. The nearest government primary schools are Annandale State School in neighbouring Annandale to the north and Wulguru State School in neighbouring Wulguru to the north-east. The nearest government secondary school is

William Ross State High School William Ross State High School is an independent public high school situated in the Townsville Suburb of Annandale, North Queensland. William Ross has a student count from grades 7 through to 12 of close to 905 (as of 2020) students which cont ...

in neighbouring Annandale to the north.

References

{{Suburbs of Townsville Suburbs of Townsville