Hermit Park is a mixture of predominantly residential premises, commercial and light-industrial businesses, as well as serving as a public services hub.
The origin of the suburb name Hermit Park is from the residence of a business owner Leopold Ferdinand Sachs.[2]
The Suburban Bowling Club was established in 1923 on the corner of Charters Towers Road and Carr Street, the second to be established in Townsville. The club initially had two grass greens, but these were replaced in 2002 by a carpeted green with a fixed roof making it suitable for play in all weather conditions.[5]
Hermit Park State School opened on 16 June 1924.[6] Hermit Park Infants State School was separated from it on 1 February 1955, but closed on 17 December 1993 and became part of the State School again.[6] This school is still in operation but it is now within the boundaries of the neighbouring suburb of Hyde Park.[7]
St Margaret Mary's Catholic Primary School was established in 1936 by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan. BishopTerrence McGuire had purchased the Woodlands estate from the Cummins family to use as a convent for the sisters, which was called Saint Philomena's. The need for secondary education for girls in the area led to the sisters establishing St Margaret Mary's College, which was officially opened by Bishop Hugh Ryan on 22 February 1963 with an initial enrolment of 50 girls.[8] St Margaret Mary's Catholic Primary School closed on 11 December 1987,[6] after which it was amalgamated with St John Fisher's Christian Brothers College (Currajong) and the Holy Family Catholic Primary School (Gulliver) to create The Marian School which opened on 21 January 1988 in Currajong.[6][9] In 1995, St Mary's School (West End) was also amalgamated into The Marian School.[10][11] St Margaret Mary's College continues to operate but is now within the boundaries of the neighbouring suburb of Hyde Park.[7]
A red light district developed along Herauld Street and the Causeway Hotel before World War II. The Causeway Hotel took its name from the causeway over the nearby embankment and bridge that crossed Ross Creek to provide access to the Townsvillle city centre. However, the massive influx of Australian and American troops into Townsville during World War II caused a dramatic increase in the number of brothels and prostitutes in the area and there were many disturbances in the area, attracting the attention of the local police and military police. The area was also believed to be the cause of considerable venereal disease among the troops which affected military operations, leading to a directive in November 1942 that the Causeway Red Light District was out of bounds for troops. In 1945 some houses burned down in the area and another was washed away in the flood. In 1969 the Townsville City Council resumed all of the properties in the area and demolished them, renaming Herauld Street to be Ford Street and Brodie Street, in order to remove the bad reputation of the area.[12][13]
Hermit Park Special School opened in January 1979 and closed in 1979.[6]
Demographics
In the 2016 census Hermit Park had a population of 3,414 people.[14]
In the 2021 census, Hermit Park had a population of 3,512 people.[1]
.jpg)
