Townsville

Introducing Townsville

Warning: On February 2, the north of Queensland is bracing for Cyclone Yasi. Visitors to Townsville should check the latest travel advisories. See Queensland Tourism for current travel information.

Neat Queenslanders – both houses and residents – inhabit this upwardly mobile city straddling the coast and the outback. Even with its sprinkling of cosmopolitan cafés and boutiques, Townsville still feels like a big country town surrounded by pink hills from which sky-high sunsets plunge into a scaled-down Riviera dotted with water craft. Locals scoot around on mopeds while travellers navigate their mobile motor homes around the orderly streetscapes. The population is also boosted by a large contingent of students and army corps, being one of the largest army bases in the country. A shyer version of Cairns with its sweeping waterfront esplanade, decent museums and thriving nightlife, Townsville is also the jumping-off point to the Yongala shipwreck, one of Australia’s top dive sites.

Last updated: Feb 2, 2011