Townsville ... it’s time to take a fresh look
While unable to compare to Cairns in terms of being a tropical holiday destination, tourists do visit Townsville and amazingly, even stay for longer than a single night. If you’re wondering what it is about the city to our south that attracts visitors, then let Daniel Bateman be your sherpa as he guides you around some of its tourism hotspots in what has been unfairly described as “Mt Isa by the sea”.
LOOK, Townsville can never compare to Cairns in terms of being a tropical holiday destination.
But tourists do visit ol’ Brownsville, and amazingly, even stay for longer than a single night.
So what is it about the city to our south that attracts visitors?
In a week of celebrating love, let us count the ways:
MAGNETIC ISLAND
Cairns has its fair share of Great Barrier Reef islands, but none of them qualify as actual suburbs. Townsville has one of the most attractive ’burbs in Queensland, only a 25-minute ferry trip across Cleveland Bay.
It’s a dreamy place, where time slows right down. There is a public bus that traverses the island, from bay to bay. Go snorkelling, go hiking, go koala-spotting or prop up the bar at Horseshoe Bay watching the sunset. There’s nothing quite like Maggie.
THE STRAND
Imagine if you could swim along the Cairns Esplanade, without fear of being trapped in mud. This is what Townsville has with its Strand: a 2.2km waterfront stretch of sandy beach, parklands, restaurants, pubs, an ocean-fed swimming pool, sculptures, and plenty of picnic areas.
It’s Townsville’s playground, and with the spectacular view of Magnetic Island front and centre, it’s well worth a visit.
REEF HQ/MUSEUM OF TROPICAL QUEENSLAND
While Cairns’ new museum and aquarium may have only just opened up, Townsville’s double-feature of attractions have been welcoming thousands of visitors for decades.
Reef HQ has the largest living coral exhibition in the world and this is purely worth the entry fee alone.
Next door, the museum is a place where you can gleefully get lost for hours, exploring the history of the HMAS Pandora, learning about the prehistoric animals that called northern Australia home millions of years ago or playing around on the thong-o-phone in the science centre.
RIVERWAY
Unbeknown to some people, Townsville actually has its own free lagoon-style swimming pool.
Riverway is along the Ross River, near the suburb of Condon. The multi-tier pool is a marvel of modern architecture.
There’s even a cafe to chill by the water and a gallery and theatre at the same complex. In Townsville’s hot, dry weather, this is an oasis.
CASTLE HILL
The great red monolith that towers over Townsville’s CBD is one of the city’s greatest natural assets and dominates the skyline.
At 286m high, Castle Hill offers stunning panoramic views across the city and is a sheer pleasure to ascend, whether it is by road or hiking trail, on foot or in a car. At certain times of the day, hill walkers may encounter a plethora of fitness junkies, including some familiar faces from the city’s NRL team – the North Queensland Cowboys.