Cape Pallarenda Conservation Park is located adjacent to the Townsville suburb of Pallarenda.
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There are several walking tracks on Cape Pallarenda. One of them passes two Second World War searchlight emplacements, and leads to the isolated and scenic Shelley Beach. Another path leads to a moving graveyard and memorial for 13 Vietnamese immigrants who died in August 1920 during a meningitis outbreak while interned at the (now defunct) Cape Pallarenda Quarantine Station.[1][2]
Pallarenda Park also has a boat ramp that provides direct access to the beach, and a permanent stinger enclosure for swimming.
Cape Pallarenda was named in 1864 by Lieutenant G. P. Heath during his survey of Cleveland Bay. It is believed that the name is of Aboriginal origin, although the exact meaning is not known.
Pallarenda Park was transformed during World War II into a military hospital. The 500 bed, 2/24 Army General Hospital scattered along the sandy foreshore at Pallarenda, Townsville received many casualties, most from New Guinea.[3].
Consideration is being given to a housing development within the park boundaries, which has been met by opposition by local residents.