Dalgety Offices, Townsville, Heritage-listed commercial building in Townsville, Australia.
Dalgety Offices is a two-story office building made from reinforced concrete with large windows that bring natural light into the interior spaces. The structure contains multiple office areas and features a ventilation system specifically designed for the region's tropical climate.
Dalgety & Co. commissioned local architect Walter Hunt to design the offices and warehouse, and builder William Hornby Turner won the tender at £15,938. Work began on 1 August 1923; staff moved into the offices on 1 December 1924 and the warehouse by mid-1925. The complex rose during Townsville's early-1920s reinforced-concrete building boom.
The building shows how businesses in the 1920s wanted to work in this region and what mattered to them in their architecture. The spaces and their design tell of the demands that working in a tropical location created.
The building sits on Sturt Street in Townsville's downtown area and is easy to reach on foot. Since it holds heritage status with restricted access, it is wise to check opening times ahead of your visit, as not all areas may be open to the public.
The site at the corner of Denham and Sturt Streets had stood vacant since the Day Dawn Hotel burned down about twenty years before Dalgety bought the title in 1920. The company's lowest tender, £15,938 from builder William Hornby Turner, was accepted after tenders were postponed to July 1923 so more contractors would compete.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,689 contributors worldwide.