Sacred Heart Cathedral

In January 1892, the Church of St Joseph on the Strand collapsed into a small creek, which had become a raging torrent after a downpour, described as "practically a waterspout", struck Townsville. It was after this, and a series of other calamities, that the decision was made to build the main church in Townsville on the foundation of rock on Castle Hill. The foundation stone for the new Church of the Sacred Heart was laid on 7 October 1900 and the church was completed and opened on 16 November 1902. It remained the parish church until it was consecrated as a Cathedral in 1930, when the Diocese of Townsville was divided from the Diocese of Rockhampton.

To mark the 75th Jubilee of the Diocese, Bishop Michael Putney commenced the $3 million project to refurbish the Sacred Heart Cathedral. The Cathedral was closed on 1 August, 2004 and reopened 23 June, 2006.