Osler House, Townsville

Osler House is a two-story building with Italianate architecture on Sturt Street, featuring medical consulting rooms on the ground floor and residential spaces upstairs. A separate brick structure at the rear originally contained the kitchen and servant quarters.

The structure was completed in 1899 and served initially as a medical practice and residence. From 1901 to 1906, the Commercial Travellers Association used the building for their purposes.

The building was named in the 1930s to honor Sir William Osler, a physician who developed methods for clinical medical training. The rooms show how medical practice and private life were intertwined at that time.

The building is located on central Sturt Street and is easy to find. Visitors can view the structure from the street, and the historical details of the facade are most visible during daylight hours.

Dr. Gordon Ross, who founded the Lister Hospital that later became the Mater Misericordia Hospital, purchased the property in 1919. This connection demonstrates the building's role in the development of the city's healthcare system.