Mindham Park (Townsville)
Like nearby Mindham Street in the suburb of Mysterton, Mindham Park takes its name from businessman Charles J. Mindham. Mindham managed the Townsville Soap Works and served for many years as an alderman on the Townsville City Council.
Situated in a former course of Ross River, Mindham Park's thirty acres are a continuation of a belt of open space stretching through Anderson Botanic Gardens to Ross River Road in front of The Vale Hotel. From there, the former waterway is less clearly defined, but its course can be traced back to Rossiter Park and Cranbrook Park through watercourses that ran down the west side of Charlotte Street and along the south side of Patrick Street that have largely been built over.
The belt of open space is a significant part of the natural drainage of Townsville's inner western suburbs (as evidenced by newspaper photographs of significant wet season inundations in 1946, 1968, and 2019). Various Townsville sporting bodies drew water for bowling greens, tennis courts, etc., from wells located in Howltt Street, North Ward, and the Townsend Street end of Mindham Park.
Since the flat open space is ideal for sporting fields, Mindham Park was the first playing field for the Townsville Brothers Rugby Union Club and was a long-term home to the Townsville Junior Rugby League.
Links to add:
Mysterton
Charles J. Mindham
Anderson Botanic Gardens
The Vale Hotel.
Rossiter Park
Cranbrook Park
Charlotte Street
Patrick Street
Townsville Brothers Rugby Union Club
Townsville Junior Rugby League
