Anzac Park (then known as Strand Park) was very popular with the settlers of Townsville as it was ideally situated on the beach and near the early commercial & port precincts. Initially the parks main focus was recreation and relaxation with The Band Stand (now more commonly known as the Rotunda) being built in 1913. The Band Stand was used to host open air concerts. The Soldiers memorial (now more commonly known as the Cenotaph) was unveiled in April 1924 in memory of the soldiers who lost their lives in WW1. Formally known as Strand Park it was officially named Anzac Memorial Park in 1932 after it was suggested by the RSL. A memorial arch was built over the entrance gates prior to Anzac Day 1934. In 1959 Anzac park was chosen over West End Park and Hanran Park as the site for it centenary monument. Queensland Governor, Sir Henry Abel Smith, launched the Centenary Fountain in 1964 unveiling a commemorative plaque. This illuminated fountain shot out 147 jets of water between the hours of 3pm and 4pm each day, in the evenings its lighting system created a cycle of 68 colour changes. Almost everyone who grew up in Townsville during these decades remembers being taken to Anzac Park to see the multicoloured lights of the Centenary Fountain.
Anzac Park is located at the eastern end of the Strand Foreshore, at the frontage to the Breakwater marina. With the development of the Strand parklands, Anzac Park has become the formal and civic commemorative park in Townsville.
