Castle Hill WWII relics loop (Walks 2 and 3) - Trip Report
Castle Hill WWII relics loop returns with two more guided walks exploring summit pillboxes, the command post, Dianella Track, the quarry and Project 81 bunker. A moderate 8 km adventure combining history, off-track terrain and Townsville’s best wartime sites.
Leader: Luen Warneke
Parties: Walk 2: 6 walkers; Walk 3: 3 walkers
Grade: Moderate (off-track sections, rock slabs, scrub, steep descents)
Distance/duration: ~8 km, ~3–3.5 hours
Ascent: ~400 m
Start/finish: Lower Cutheringa Track car park, North Ward
A pair of repeat outings up Castle Hill (Wilfred) revealed how dynamic this network of WWII relics feels with each visit - different light, different lines through the scrub, and new stories emerging from the ruins. These two walks followed the full historic circuit to the summit and command post, then descended through wartime infrastructure on Dianella and Triandra Tracks before looping through West End’s stone features and the Project 81 relics.
Townsville Bushwalking Club
The second walk brought a lively group of six, keen for a longer route than the first outing (as we started a bit earlier). A week later, the trilogy wrapped up with a smaller party of three, allowing for a relaxed pace and plenty of discussion around the command post and bunkers. Both afternoons were warm, dry and breezy - classic late dry-season conditions on the hill.
Route and highlights
Ammo bunker and Erythrina Track
As with the first walk, we began at the Cutheringa trailhead, taking a look at the old ammunition bunker before climbing the road to the Erythrina Track bend. The second group enjoyed the bats and concrete remnants.
Searchlight site and terraces
The side trip onto Erythrina’s burn-cleared knoll again revealed the concrete pads of the searchlight emplacement. By the third walk, regrowth has already started from the recent rain. Both groups noted old bottles nearby, adding to the sense of layered history.
The Ladies' Track, summit pillboxes, and command post
Both groups continued to the summit precinct via Ladies Track. The pillboxes and cliff-edge command post felt especially atmospheric in the late-afternoon light. With the smaller group on the final walk, we spent more time exploring the different vantage points and discussing the communications link between the summit post, Magnetic Island’s RAN Station 21, and the coastal defence network. As well as the modern zip line between the summit and the bunker.
Dianella descent and Triandra to the quarry
The longer route for walks 2 and 3 included a full traverse down Dianella Track to Triandra. Steep, loose sections kept everyone honest, especially after 5 p.m. Both groups explored the quarry ledges, comparing drilled holes, cut benches and the origin of the persistent “tunnel rumours”. Having more time on walk 3 meant we could identify several quarry features that often get misinterpreted as military. We inspected the old quarry ruins and metal work. The area is full of disused roads, concrete steps, homeless campsites, and rubbish.
West End stone features
From the quarry edge, we took off-track pads down toward the Francis and Sidney Street gullies. The stone terraces and so-called gun-ports again proved popular, particularly as newer walkers compared wartime myths with the more mundane origin story: a pre-war residence with a pool wall, garden beds and quirky stonework.
Project 81 bunker and COIC site
The streets around Green and Sidney Street gave us good viewing angles of the big concrete bunker behind the SES depot and the berm marking the sealed entrance to the COIC underground facility. The second walk had several first-time visitors who were surprised by the scale of the structure; the smaller group on walk 3 spent longer discussing its camouflage - the notorious fake house and washing line used to fool wartime reconnaissance.
Off-track West End traverse to West Ridge Track
All three made the scrubby traverse across the lower West End slopes to intersect West Ridge Track, each on a slightly different route. Spear grass was thickest on the first walk, and the ascent was easiest with the second group. The climb up West Ridge was steady and social, with the lights of North Ward starting to appear as dusk settled.
Road descent to Cutheringa
We wrapped up each outing with an easy descent along Erythrina Track and the bitumen road, arriving at the cars just before nightfall. Head torches stayed packed, though they were a welcome reassurance.
With each circuit, Castle Hill revealed something new - a terrace half-hidden by regrowth, a detail in the pillboxes missed the first time, or another forgotten wartime anecdote resurfacing from someone’s memory. Across these two later walks, the groups enjoyed a solid mix of fitness, local history and off-track exploration. The trilogy finished with a small but enthusiastic party, completing the full loop and tying together the hill’s disparate wartime stories from summit to suburb. A great way to wrap up the 2025 year of bushwalking.
- Luen
Photo credit: Luen Warneke, Dean Addison, and Anne Henderson
