Townsville
Introduction
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, and the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia. It serves as an administrative hub for the northern half of the state, hosting a significant number of governmental, community and major business offices.
Before you go
Townsville has a dry tropical climate, which means dry winters and wet, humid summers. Summer days and nights are hot and sticky, and the humidity can make the heat feel far more intense than the air temperature alone suggests; heat waves can push the apparent temperature even higher, with sweltering nights as well. Plan your days around the heat, and expect the city to slow into a relaxing siesta style during the hottest part of the day in high summer. The city has a quiet cosmopolitan feel, with a good choice of restaurants and bars, and takes great pride in being the unofficial capital of North Queensland.
Before you go, be aware of the marine hazards. Box jellyfish and other stingers can be in the ocean during the summer months, and a sting from the box jellyfish can be fatal. Read the warning signs, and don't swim at the beach outside of the stinger enclosures — there are two stinger enclosures along the Townsville beaches. Saltwater crocodiles are present in Townsville, and all swimming locations, including the beach, should be approached with extreme caution. You can check the Townsville tourism website for further information before you travel.
Getting there
Townsville Airport (TSV) sits about 10 km west of the city. Qantas flies in from Sydney, Brisbane, Mackay, Cairns and Hamilton Island; Jetstar and Virgin Australia both serve Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne; and Air North connects the city with Darwin.
By road, Townsville lies on the Bruce Highway (A1), which runs north to Cairns and south through Mackay to Brisbane, with the A6 (Flinders Highway) heading west to Charters Towers and Mt Isa. The Northern Beaches district also sits on the Bruce Highway, and the Townsville–Thuringowa Ring Road (A1/M1) carries the National Highway route through the city. Queensland Rail's Traveltrain station is 4 km south of the city centre, with the Spirit of Queensland Tilt Train running from Cairns and Brisbane five times a week in each direction and the Inlander to Mt Isa twice a week. Flixbus and Greyhound both stop in Townsville on their Brisbane–Cairns routes.
Getting around
Townsville is a spread-out coastal city, so getting around usually means combining a few different modes. Buses are the main public transport option, operated by Kinetic across 16 routes in the city plus one on Magnetic Island, running seven days a week. Express routes connect major destinations more quickly, and useful services for visitors include the route linking the CBD to Townsville Hospital via Townsville Shopping Centre and on to Kelso, and a route from the CBD to Bushland Beach. Check the Kinetic website for timetables and journey planning.
Taxis run 24 hours a day across the metropolitan area, with ranks at the airport, major shopping centres and in the town centre at spots such as Flinders Street East, Cowboys Leagues Club, Palmer Street and Seaview; you can also book by phone. Ride-hailing is another convenient option. The CBD and nearby shopping and entertainment precincts are walkable, but the city's spread means walking alone won't get you everywhere, so pairing it with buses or taxis is often necessary. For longer trips, Queensland Rail's Spirit of Queensland connects Townsville with Brisbane and Cairns, and the Inlander runs to Mount Isa, though these are not urban transit. From Townsville Airport at Garbutt, west of the centre, you can reach the city by taxi, rental car or bus. Ferries run to Magnetic Island and Palm Island for island trips.
Where to stay
Much of Townsville's accommodation clusters along The Strand and the city centre. On the waterfront, Aquarius on the Beach, the Beach House Motel, Waters Edge The Strand Hotel and the Shore Drive Motel all sit on or near The Strand, with views over Cleveland Bay towards Magnetic Island; Waters Edge offers self-contained apartments with kitchenettes, while the Shore Drive Motel puts you close to the beach and rockpool. In the heart of the city, the Holiday Inn Townsville - known locally as the Sugar Shaker - is a long-standing landmark with a rooftop pool, and the Townsville Central Hotel places you in the dining precinct a short walk from Flinders Mall. The Summit Motel is a brief walk from the centre and the beach, and the Mercure Inn sits further out in Hyde Park with a pool, barbecue area and tennis courts.
For budget and backpacker stays, Adventurers Backpackers on Palmer Street is an air-conditioned resort-style hostel with a pool and barbecue area, while the Civic Guest House on Walker Street offers budget rooms with internet, barbecue and pool facilities, and Reef Lodge Backpackers on Wickham Street is a clean hostel with free Wi-Fi. Coral Lodge on Hale Street provides cosy rooms with shared bathrooms and a communal kitchen. Further afield, Seagulls Resort on the Seafront near Castle Hill has rooms, apartments and suites along with two pools, tennis and a restaurant, and the Northern Beaches area offers a spread of holiday units, caravan parks, motels and retreats.
Food & drink
Townsville has two main restaurant districts: Palmer Street in the city, an upscale dining strip reached on foot from Flinders Street via Victoria Bridge, and Cannon Park in the southwestern suburbs, where budget to moderately upscale options cover Chinese, Indian, burgers, Tex Mex, Italian and Japanese. Along the Strand you'll find a cluster of grills and cafes, and restaurants are scattered throughout the city and suburbs, alongside the usual fast food chains.
For a proper meal, Palmer Street is home to the IMC Steak House and the Australian Hotel, while Flinders Street East and West pack in most of the variety: Tex-Mex at Cactus Jacks, Indian at the Jewel of India, Pakistani dishes at the Taj Mahal, Thai seafood at Reef Thai, and Chinese at the Dynasty Chinese Seafood Restaurant, which keeps a live lobster tank and sits across the road from the cheaper Capitol Reagent. Frank's Pizza Napoli and Vesuviana does casual pizza on Ross River Road, Tony's Pizza handles pick-up and delivery in North Ward, and A Touch of Salt serves eclectic Modern Australian dishes with plenty of outdoor seating. On the Strand, the Sea View Hotel Restaurant is known for seafood and steak, and the C Bar Cafe sits right on the water's edge, though service can be slow at peak times. Molly Malones Irish Pub is the spot for a cheap feed, including crumbed steak on Tuesdays.
For drinks, the Flinders Street nightclub strip is the centre of the action, with a state-wide 3AM lockout: venues stop admitting patrons from then on, though clubs open until the early morning let those already inside stay. Pubs and bars on the strip generally close between 1AM and 2AM at weekends, while the Ville Resort-Casino, a waterfront casino with several bars, is the only place that takes entries after 3AM. If you're heading to the strip, wear long trousers and closed-in shoes, as most venues there turn away thongs, singlets and shorts; elsewhere the dress code is more relaxed. Cactus Saloon pours its own custom-brewed tap beer and a long list of tequilas, Monsoons offers pool and balcony views over the Ross River mouth, and Molly Malones draws an older crowd with live bands on Fridays and Saturdays. The Commonwealth Hotel in South Townsville is a cheap, characterful local pub with live pub rock on Saturday afternoons, the Sovereign serves the wider LGBT community, and Irish Finnegans in Condon brings in live bands and DJs at weekends.
What to see and do
Townsville's centrepiece is Castle Hill, rising in the middle of the city and giving you sweeping views east towards Magnetic Island and west over the suburbs and hills. You can drive to the top, but the steep uphill walk is a popular option, especially in the evening when it is cooler. Down on the waterfront, The Strand Beach is a sandy stretch right in front of the main waterfront area, generally calm for swimming thanks to the shelter of Magnetic Island - don't bother trying to surf. An artificial swimming lagoon called The Rockpool sits at one end, and a free water playground at the southern end keeps kids busy on a hot day.
For wildlife and history, Reef HQ Aquarium on Flinders Street focuses on Great Barrier Reef fish life, built around two large tanks - the larger holding smaller non-predatory reef fish, the smaller containing reef fish and predators including several species of shark. The Museum of Tropical Queensland, also on Flinders Street, displays artefacts from HMS Pandora, the ship the British sent in pursuit of HMS Bounty, along with exhibits on the wildlife of tropical Queensland. At the northern end of The Strand at Kissing Point, the Army Museum North Queensland at Jezzine Barracks collects objects and stories relating to the Australian Army in North Queensland from colonial days through to modern conflicts. In the North Ward area, Queens Gardens has special collections of Pandanus and has been called Townsville's finest park, while the Palmetum in Douglas is a botanical garden devoted to a single plant family, the palms.
If you are into sports, a rugby league match at 1300 Smiles Stadium in Kirwan, home of the North Queensland Cowboys, is worth catching for the atmosphere at home games. The Riverway development along the Ross River includes the Riverwalk pathway overlooking the water, plus Loam Island and Pioneer Park, where Village Boulevard forms a pedestrian spine following the river's edge. The river itself supports skiing, wakeboarding and good fishing spots, with Apex Park and Ross Park among the other areas along its banks. Golfers can head to The Willows Golf Club, an international-standard course with a golf wildlife sanctuary.
Beyond the city, the beaches north of town each have their own character. Bushland Beach, at low tide, lets you walk out to a wooden shipwreck and ponds full of marine life. Saunders Beach stretches for kilometres of sand and is often empty. Toolakea Beach is quiet and suited to birdwatching and fishing, while Toomulla Beach is more isolated, with a free camping area and another good spot for birdwatching. Balgal Beach offers clean white sand and a stinger net patrolled for safe swimming, with the wide creek mouth a great fishing location. Inland, Little Crystal Creek and Big Crystal Creek, both part of Paluma Range National Park, are popular for swimming in clear water, picnics and camping. Piper's Lookout on Hervey Range looks out over the land below and all the way to sea.
Townsville is further from the reef than the Cairns region and does not have as strong a scuba diving industry, but it is the closest big centre to the Yongala Wreck, a luxury passenger ship sunk in a cyclone and found in 1958. The wreck is primarily interesting for the marine life it attracts and is one of Australia's top dive sites. Day trips to the outback or rainforest are also possible from the city.
When to go
Townsville has a dry tropical climate, which splits the year into two distinct seasons. Summer is wet and humid, and the humidity makes conditions feel considerably hotter than the air temperature suggests. Expect sweltering, sticky days and rain, with heat waves and humidity capable of pushing the apparent temperature far above the actual reading by day and keeping nights uncomfortably warm as well.
Winter is the dry season, offering a break from the summer humidity and wet weather. This is the drier half of the year's pattern, with little rain, making it the more comfortable time to be outdoors and explore the city.
Three days in Townsville
Day one: Arrive at Townsville Airport (TSV), served by Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia from Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Mackay, Cairns and Hamilton Island, and by Air North from Darwin. If you are coming overland, the Bruce Highway and the Flinders Highway link Townsville with Charters Towers and Mt Isa, while Queensland Rail's Traveltrain services — the Spirit of Queensland, the Queensland Tilt Train and the Inlander — run into the city, and Flixbus covers the road. Settle in, then take a first look at the waterfront and the Saltwater area before an early night.
Day two: Give the day to the city itself. Townsville is the largest city in North Queensland, and its centre is compact enough to walk. Plan around the heat: summer in Northern Australia is hot, so start early, rest in the middle of the day, and head out again in the late afternoon.
Day three: Use the Northern Beaches and the Thuringowa Ring Road to see how the city spreads along the coast, with the National Highway and the Bruce Highway threading through the wider region. Before you leave, allow time to get back to Townsville Airport for your onward flight.