Hall Two

Take a step back in time when you enter Hall Two, featuring a timeline of Townsville’s history from its discovery by John Melton Black through to early European settlement and beyond. This hall brings together a wide range of displays that reflect how people lived, learned, worked and communicated in earlier times.

Visitors can explore a pre-electricity kitchen, complete with household items that show how families cooked, stored food and managed daily tasks before modern appliances. The early school room display offers a glimpse into education from a past generation, while the telephone exchange and communications exhibits show how technology connected Townsville to the wider world, including examples from the earliest forms of communication through to the first mobile phone.

The Townsville Coastal Radio Centre display tells the important story of disasters at sea and why this centre was built in Townsville in 1913. This exhibit highlights the vital role coastal radio played in keeping ships, crews and communities connected along the North Queensland coast.

Hall Two also includes a comprehensive display of printing equipment used by the Townsville Bulletin to produce newspapers, including typesetting and bookbinding equipment. From domestic life and education to communication, maritime safety and newspaper production, Hall Two offers plenty to discover for visitors of all ages.