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

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

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 Thuringowa Central is a Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the , Thuringowa Central had a population of 1,953 people. Geography Shaped like an inverted letter "T", Th ...

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 Riverway Stadium, also known as Townsville Cricket Ground, 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. F ...

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

AFL AFL may refer to: Education * Angel Foundation for Learning, a Canadian Roman Catholic charity * Ankara Science High School, a high school in Ankara, Turkey, natively referred to as ''Ankara Fen Liesi'' * Assessment for learning Military * ...

and

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

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 is also in this building. The

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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 (musician), Tony Buck on drums, percussion and electric guitar, and Lloyd Swanton on bass guitar and dou ...

recorded their third

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...

, ''

'' (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 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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