Kelso, Queensland
Kelso is a suburb in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. In the , Kelso had a population of 10,538 people. Geography. Kelso is the last of three suburbs along Riverway Drive and is the only suburb on Riverway Drive that has homes backing onto the Ross River. It is a fast growing suburb with many residential estates being constructed. History. Kelso was named after Scottish immigrants, and early settlers, Mary and James Kelso, who had cattle property in 1878 called Laudham Park on Five Head Creek. To make way for construction of the Ross River Dam in 1970 , the Townsville City Council resumed 1620ha of the property's best grazing land. At its peak, Laudham Park stretched for more than 40,000ha along both banks of the Upper Ross River to the foothills of Mount Stuart and out to the Pinnacles part of Hervey Range. Most of what was Laudham Park is today under water due to the construction of the dam and the rest is now the suburb of Kelso. The first residential blocks started selling back in 1966. Kelso State School, Prep to Year 6, opened in 1963. Population. According to the 2016 census of  Population, there were 10,538 people in Kelso. Transportation. Bus. Kelso is connected to Townsville by the Sunbus Townsville. This is also a source of transport for most students who go to schools around Kelso and Townsville, to and from school. Air. Access to commercial flights are from the Townsville Airport. Car. Kelso is directly connected to most nearby suburbs by road.