Townsville

Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Townsville is on the coast and enjoys an average of 320 days of sunshine a year. It is an appealing place for locals and a great jumping off point for visitors. A great spot for visitors wanting a taste of outback Australia while not venturing far from the coast. It offers a quiet cosmopolitan feel with its good choice of restaurants & bars but also has a relaxing siesta style during the hottest parts of the day in high summer. Townsville takes great pride in being the unofficial Capital of North Queensland.

Townsville is on the Bruce Highway (A1) between Cairns in the north, Mackay and Brisbane to the south. The city is also served by the A6 (Flinders Highway) to Charters Towers and Mt Isa to the West.

The Northern Beaches district (part of former Thuringowa) is also on the Bruce Highway (A1). As stage 2 of the Townsville-Thuringowa Ring Road (known as The Ring Road) is completed, it will become the new National Highway route through the city. The first stage, the 5.3 km Douglas Arterial Road, opened to traffic in April 2005, and stage 2 is to be opend by late 2008.

Townsville is further from the reef than the Cairns region to the north and does not have as strong a scuba diving industry, but is the closest big center to the well known Yongala Wreck. The Yongala was a luxury passenger ship sunk in a cyclone on 23rd March 1911. The wreck was found in 1958. The wreck is primarily interesting for the marine life that it attracts and is one of Australia's top dive sites.