Townsville

Touted as Australia’s largest tropical city, Townsville lies 346kms south of Cairns. The town is located by the sea and Castle Rock, which rises 300m above it.

Townsville's major attraction is the world-class Museum of Tropical Queensland, where a full size replica of the HMS Pandora is the magnificent focal point. The museum is next door to one of the city's most amazing attractions, the Reef HQ aquarium.

Townsville is also a great base from which to explore the Great Barrier Reef, with cruises leaving from the harbour for the journey of 2 hours, 30 minutes. Townsville’s Yongala Wreck is famous among scuba divers as one of the best dive sites in the world.

The Strand, a strip of 2.5kms, boasts beaches safe for swimming, a fitness circuit, a water park for kids, and lots of covered picnic areas and free gas barbecues. There are also many cafés, restaurants and bars with good views of the sea and Magnetic Island.

Townsville is just eight kilometres from the breathtaking Magnetic Island, a popular place for water sports, hiking, and spotting koalas in the wild. There are several rustic guesthouses, and backpacker places located here. The nearby towns of Charters Towers and Ravenswood provide good examples of colonial architecture, historic hotels, museums, and displays of old gold mining machinery and cottages. Billabong Sanctuary, featuring koalas, crocodiles and other Australian wildlife, is just 17kms south of town.

If you are travelling by car, Townsville is on the Bruce Highway, three hours north of Airlie Beach and 4 hours, 30 minutes south of Cairns. There are many flights a day here from Cairns, and several from Brisbane. Airport Transfers & Tours offers an airport shuttle meeting flights from Brisbane. Seven Queensland Rail has train service stopping at Townsville each week. Greyhound Pioneer and McCafferty's buses stop at Townsville many times a day on their routes between Cairns and Brisbane.