Making the most of Townsville
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
From the Port ( Berth 10), town is only a short 2km walk.
Taxis and rideshare services such as Uber offer a quick, convenient route to downtown Townsville.
Take along a printable map.
With over 300 days of sunshine a year, Townsville supports tourism and abundant outdoor activities throughout the year. Popular attractions are 'The Strand', a long tropical beach and garden strip; Riverway, a riverfront parkland attraction on the banks of Ross River; Reef HQ, a large tropical aquarium holding many of the Great Barrier Reef's native flora and fauna; the Museum of Tropical Queensland, built around relics from the sunken British warship HMS Pandora; and Magnetic Island, a large neighbouring island, the vast majority of which is national park.
Getting around
Visitor information centre at Flinders Mall.
Nearby places
Townsville can offer the ultimate tropical holiday, its uniqueness arising from the convergence of different landscapes. To the east lies the Great Barrier Reef, while pristine palm-lined beaches border the city. A couple of hours drive west introduces Australian country life. Dense rainforests and beautiful islands near Mission Beach to the north, plus sugarcane and mango farming communities to the south, complete the diverse picture associated with Queensland holidays.
Money
The local currency is the Australian Dollar.
Opening Hours and
Shops and services usually trade Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, and until lunchtime on Saturday. Many shops in cities and larger towns open late on Thursday or Friday evening, usually until 9pm, and throughout Saturday. Shopping malls often also trade on Sundays.
In remote country areas, roadhouses supply all essential services for the traveller and are generally open 24 hours a day on major highways. Even tourist offices in tourist areas well off the beaten track often open every day, or at least during the week plus weekend mornings; urban information centres more commonly follow normal shopping hours.
Museums, galleries and attended historic monuments are often open daily, but those in rural communities can have erratic opening hours.