Aerial view of Richmond Hill, looking from the intersection of Bridge Street with Hackett Terrace (lower right) and then SSW along the curve of Bridge Street with Mosman Street in the centre of Charters Towers and Towers Hill in the distance
Unlike many townships in the Charters Towers area that developed around a goldfield, Richmond Hill was intended to be a residential area and was situated away from the mining areas. A number of schools opened in the area.[3]
St Columba's Primary School for girls was opened in 1876 by the Sisters of Mercy (a Catholic order). In 1882 the Sisters established St Mary's College. Later these schools were operated by the Sisters of the Good Samaritan (another Catholic order). On 14 April 1902 the Christian Brothers (also a Catholic order) opened Mount Carmel College for boys. In 1998 the three schools combined into Columba Catholic College operating from the three campuses (including the Mount Carmel campus in Richmond Hill); the church is now operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Townsville through Catholic Education.[4]
Richmond Hill State School, opened 9 September 1895.[5]
The Presbyterian and Methodist Churches opened Thornburgh College as a boys boarding school on 1 June 1919. In 1978 Thornburgh College merged with Blackheath College (a Presbyterian and Methodist girls school in Charters Towers) to create an independent co-educational Christian college, Blackheath and Thornburgh College, on the site of Thornburgh College in Richmond Hill.[6]
In 1920 All Souls’ School for boys was established by the Bush Brotherhood of St Barnabas (part of the Anglican Church) as a memorial school to the fallen of World War I. In 1921 St Gabriel’s School for girls was established by the Sisters of the Sacred Advent (also an Anglican order). After many years of co-educational activities, in 1990 the two schools merged as All Souls St Gabriels School on the All Souls campus. In 2000, the school ceased to be operated by the church and is now an independent Anglican school.[7]
Demographics
In the 2011 census, Richmond Hill had a population of 2,776 people.[8]
In the 2016 census, Richmond Hill had a population of 2,488 people.[9]
In the 2021 census, Richmond Hill had a population of 2,453 people.[1]
Heritage listings
Richmond Hill has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
There is no government secondary school in Richmond Hill. The nearest government secondary school is Charters Towers State High School in neighbouring Charters Towers City to the south.[17]
^"Charters Towers Suburbs". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
^"Tradition". Columba Catholic College. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
Brumby, Michael; Barrie, Robyn (1995), A century of playing the game : the first hundred years of schooling at Richmond Hill State School, Charters Towers 1895-1995, Richmond Hill State School Parents and Citizens Association, ISBN978-0-646-23887-6
"Charters Towers Suburbs". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021.