By the end of that year plans were underway to convert the School of Arts to house the Northern Supreme Court.

[1] The School of Arts Reserve on Melton Hill was proclaimed in 1872, close to the site of the first court and customs houses which were constructed by 1872 and the first Town Hall.

Also nearby were private residences, most notably that of FA Fryer and John Melton Black, founder of Townsville.

There is also a sketch plan made in around 1867–1868 for the Queensland Department of Public Works records shows John Melton Black's property extending down the hill as far as the north- eastern boundary of the School of Arts site.

The main house was surrounded by four other buildings, an observatory and several structures downhill towards the original School of Arts site.

[1] Planning for the School of Arts building began in January 1877 when the Committee sought government funding for the project.

Heated discussion took place within the Committee and in the community over whether the reserved land was too far from the business centre of the town, which, by 1877 was already moving westward along Flinders St.

Finally, at a meeting of the committee on 11 January 1877, the motion to build the new School of Arts on Melton Hill was carried 14 votes to 12.

In March, 1877 the committee considered the five plans submitted and by an almost unanimous vote chose the design prepared by Charles Alexander Ward, of Townsville.

Besides the School of Arts he was architect and builder of a number of public and commercial buildings in Townsville including the (now demolished) Queensland Hotel.

It was also used as the first skating rink; it housed the exhibits of the early Townsville Shows and provided a venue for lectures on a variety of topics.

In September 1887 the issue was debated in parliament and a decision was made to relocate Queensland's Northern Supreme Court to Townsville.

Well known North Queensland building and timber merchant firm Rooney Brothers, were selected by the Justice Department to do the work at a cost of between £950 and £1000.

This quote covered the cost of the removal of skillion rooms and extension of the main building 20 feet (6.1 m) to the rear.

During construction Rooney made design suggestions i.e. the extension of the western verandah and a flight of stairs to give the judge easy access to his rooms.

[1] Mr Justice Charles Edward Chubb, newly appointed Northern Judge is believed to have been involved in design changes to the building as well.

In 1970 the Supreme Court moved to new premises and the Vehicle Licensing Division of Department of Transport occupied the front section of the building.

The double-hung windows, smaller than those of the front, have two panes per sash and are shaded by continuous curved corrugated iron hoods.

On the east side is the Courtroom's gabled entry porch, which has a scalloped bargeboard, boarded valance and timber posts with capitals.

[1]The Courtroom has exposed scissor trusses with stop-chamfered members, and raked ceilings lined in diagonal boarding above.

The large double-hung windows, two to each side, have single pane sashes and arched heads, and are similar to those beside the main entry.

From here, a link of latticed walls and curved corrugated iron roof connects to the Jury Room to the east.

[1]Along the western side of the main building runs a graded brick retaining wall, forming the terrace of the remainder of the site.

[1]The former Townsville Supreme Court was an imposing one and two- storeyed timber building with a corrugated iron roof.

[1] The condition of the drystone wall varies from sound to areas of partial collapse or missing stones.

This descends into Cleveland Terrace where it enters an underground drain near a manhole manufactured by Northern Iron and Brass Foundry.

Following the wet season the drystone wall is mostly covered with creeper vine, which restricts visual reference and additional research into the feature.

[1] Drystone Wall, Melton Hill was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 7 February 2005 having satisfied the following criteria.

It is also distinguished by the fact that it was a converted building, which differed from the usual practice of purpose built court houses.

The Drystone Wall, Melton Hill, has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Queensland's history.