Castle Hill Stuff

For future reference, page six of this document:

http://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/resources/4391.pdf

shows exactly what trails on Castle Hill are currently maintained by the Townsville City Council, and where they start and end.

So far, this is the only place where you can find such information. Yes, it's a proposal for putting solar lighting on some of the major tracks. No, I have no idea why they don't have this information on a more likely website.

So, if you have ever walked up the road to Castle Hill, or the infamous Goat Track, and wondered to yourself "Where does the Ironbark/Maidenhair/Dianella/Eythrina/Cudtheringa Track go, anyway?" then this page will have your answer.

Apart from the Goat Track and Castle Hill Road, there's very little about the tracks on the Hill available online at the moment. So, for the sake of getting a bit more information out there (especially for visitors):

The Cudtheringa Track is nowhere near the Cudtheringa Bowls Club. It is on the Strand side of the Hill, and starts partway up Castle Hill Road, cutting under the face of the Hill to join the Goat Track. You can then take the Goat Track to either the summit of the Hill or down to the foothills.

The Goat Track begins at the top of Hillside Cresent (off Stanton Terrace, North Ward), and connects with Castle Hill Road just before the summit. Be prepared to face a lot of stairs.

The Maidenhair Track starts at the top of Church Street (West End), near the West End Cemetery, and runs across the foothills of the Hill, connecting with the lower end of the Goat Track. There are a number of short, unnamed tracks connecting with the Maidenhair Track so that shorter routes can be planned. These include a track at the top of Wilson Street (up behind the Townsville State School) and the western end of Walker Street (the route to the water tower).

The Dianella Track (used to be known as the Cemetery Track), starts at the top of Church Street (West End), near the West End Cemetery, and runs up the side of the Hill to connect with Castle Hill Road shortly before the summit.

It is possible to undertake a loop combining the Dianella Track, Castle Hill Road, the Goat Track and the Maidenhair Track.

The Iron Bark Track (formerly known as the West End track)begins at the top of James Street (West End) and runs up the side of the Hill, connecting with Castle Hill Road approximately two thirds of the way along.

The Erythrina Track (formerly known as the Yarrawonga track) connects from the top of Balmoral Place (off Yarrawonga Drive) to Castle Hill Road (just short of the halfway point), then shortcuts between the northern and southern sections of Castle Hill Road, eliminating the western loop of the road.

There are, at present, no other officially maintained trails on Castle Hill, although there are other "wild tracks" known to some of the locals.