Townsville Campervan Hire

17 miles south of town, Billabong Sanctuary is billed as Australia’s Best Interactive Wildlife Experience. In natural habitats of eucalypt forest, rainforest, and wetlands, Billabong offers unique hands-on experiences – here you can cuddle a koala, pat a wombat, free-ranging kangaroo, or dingo, and hold a baby saltwater crocodile. Over 100 Australian mammals and reptiles are found at Billabong including, additionally, wallabies, parrots, and cassowaries. Croc feeding shows happen twice daily and there are tours – guided and self-guided – through the natural tropical bush.

Townsville’s 1.3-mile-long beachfront promenade has won awards as the cleanest beach in Australia, most recently in 2008. Dating to the city’s founding in the mid-1800s, the Strand’s current incarnation is from 1999, following the damage from Tropical Cyclone Sid. Officially situated in the suburb of North Ward, views are available back to Townsville and to Cape Cleveland and Magnetic Island.

Dominating Townsville’s skyline, heritage-listed Castle Hill rises 286 metres above the sea level and is considered one of the most distinctive natural features of the Queensland coast. 360-degree views are possible over the city and across Cleveland Bay to Magnetic Island. This pink granite monolith is popular for its walking tracks and was used as a vantage point by American soldiers during WWII; an observation bunker remains today on one corner.

The adjacent Museum of Tropical North Queensland and Reef HQ Aquarium provide insight into local history and marine biology. Formed in 1987, the museum focuses on natural history, history, and archaeology; a featured exhibit includes artefacts from the HMS Pandora, a ship sent to capture those involved in the ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ that then wrecked on the reef in 1791. Build as a Bicentennial Commemorative project, Reef HQ is the educational centre for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and houses the world’s largest coral reef aquarium, with 130 species of corals. A walk through a 20-metre-long transparent acrylic tunnel brings you inside a large predator tank, with resident blacktip, whitetip, nurse, and leopard sharks.