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Murray
Townsville, Queensland
Murray; Townsville, Queensland
	View from Mount Stuart with Lavarack Barracks in the foreground, 2008
	Murray
Coordinates	19°20′07″S 146°47′27″E / 19.3352°S 146.7908°E
Population	1,739 (2021 census)
• Density	143.7/km2 (372.2/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4814
Area	12.1 km2 (4.7 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
LGA(s)	City of Townsville
State electorate(s)	Mundingburra
Federal division(s)	Herbert; Dawson; Kennedy;
	Suburbs around Murray:

Murray is a suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia.^[2] It is not a conventional suburb, with the developed land in the suburb being within the Australian Army's Lavarack Barracks. In the 2021 census, Murray had a population of 1,739 people.^[1]

Geography

The suburb is bounded by University Road to the north.^[3]

The southern parts of the suburb are on the slopes of Mount Stuart and are undeveloped. The northern part of the suburb is occupied by the Lavarack Barracks.^[3]

History

Murray is situated in the traditional Wulgurukaba Aboriginal country.^[4]

The origin of the suburb name is from Lieutenant Colonel Henry William Murray who was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1917 for his actions during the Battle of the Somme.^[2]

On 21 July 1939, with the Second World War looming, Murray volunteered for military service and was appointed as commanding officer of the 26th (Militia) Battalion, 11th Brigade, based in Townsville; he was mobilised for full-time service on 21 October 1941.^[5] The 26th became an Australian Imperial Force unit in 1942, and in August Murray was removed from his post by General Sir Thomas Blamey, Commander in Chief Australian Military Forces, on the grounds of his advancing age. He was instead appointed to command the 23rd Queensland Regiment, Volunteer Defence Corps, which he led until his retirement from active duty on 8 February 1944.^[6]^[7]

The suburb was named after Murray on 1 April 1969.^[2]

In 1972, the Lavarack Golf Club opened at the barracks on land leased from Australian Department of Defence (19°19′12″S 146°46′53″E / 19.3199°S 146.7813°E / -19.3199; 146.7813 (Lararack Golf Club (former))).^[8] It was an 18-hole course and open to membership by the wider community. In December 2021, the golf club closed as the Department of Defence did not wish to renew the lease as it intended to redevelop the land as sporting and training facilities for defence force use.^[9]^[10]

Demographics

In the 2016 census, Murray had a population of 1,491 people.^[11]

In the 2021 census, Murray had a population of 1,739 people.^[1]

Education

There are no schools in Murray. The nearest government primary schools are Annandale State School in neighbouring Annandale to the north and Wulguru State School in neighbouring Wulguru to the north-east. The nearest government secondary school is William Ross State High School in neighbouring Annandale to the north.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Murray (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Murray – suburb in City of Townsville (entry 44615)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
^ "Traditional Landowners - History and Heritage". Archived from the original on 27 March 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
^ Franki, George; Slatyer, Clyde (2003). Mad Harry: Australia's Most Decorated Soldier. Sydney, New South Wales, Australia: Kangaroo Press. pp. 164–165. ISBN 0-7318-1188-7.
^ Franki & Slatyer 2003, pp. 168–169.
^ "Murray, Henry William". World War II Nominal Roll. Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2008.
^ "Lavarack Golf Club". Golf Australia. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
^ "North Qld Lavarack Golf Club closes doors for good". Golf Industry Central. Archived from the original on 30 December 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
^ Chomicki, Chloe (25 August 2021). "Defence putting mental health at risk by closing army golf club, veterans say". ABC News. Archived from the original on 5 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Murray (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.