Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

THE NORTH COAST 301
nestled by the sea below the pink face of Castle Rock, which looms 300m
(about 1,000 ft.) above, and the beachfront has recently undergone a A$29 million
(US$18.8 million) revamp.
Townsville’s major attraction is the world-class Museum of Tropical Queensland,
where a full-size replica of the HMS Pandora is the stunning centerpiece.
The museum is next to one of the city’s most enduring attractions, the ReefHQ
aquarium.
Remnants of bygone times are still apparent in surrounding towns like Charters
Towers and Ravenswood, which offer splendid examples of colonial architecture,
historic hotels, museums and displays of old gold mining machinery
and cottages.
Cruises depart from the harbor for the Great Barrier Reef, about 2 1 ⁄2 hours
away, and just 8km (5 miles) offshore is Magnetic Island—“Maggie” to the
locals—a popular place for watersports, hiking, and spotting koalas in the wild.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE Townsville is on the Bruce Highway, a 3-hour drive
north of Airlie Beach and 4 1 ⁄2 hours south of Cairns. The Bruce Highway breaks
temporarily in the city. From the south, take Bruce Highway Alt. 1 route into
the city. From the north, the highway leads into the city.
Qantas (& 13 13 13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au), and subsidiary Sunstate
Airlines (book through Qantas) have many flights a day from Cairns, and
several from Brisbane. Sunstate flies from Proserpine and Hamilton Island
airports in the Whitsundays. Virgin Blue (& 13 67 89 in Australia) flies to
Townsville from Brisbane daily.
Airport Transfers & Tours (& 07/4775 5544) runs a door-to-door airport
shuttle. It meets only flights from Brisbane, not from Cairns or elsewhere. A trip
into town is A$7 (US$4.55) one-way or A$11 (US$7.15) return. A taxi from
the airport to most central hotels costs about A$12 (US$7.80).
Seven Queensland Rail (& 13 22 32 in Queensland, or 07/3235 1122)
long-distance trains stop at Townsville each week. The 19-hour Tilt Train journey
from Brisbane costs A$244 (US$159). The 24-hour Sunlander journey costs
from A$162 (US$105) for an economy seat to A$316 (US$205) for a first-class
sleeper.
Greyhound Pioneer (& 13 20 30 in Australia) and McCafferty’s (& 13 14
99 in Australia) buses stop at Townsville regularly on their Cairns–Brisbane–
Cairns routes. The fare from Cairns is A$51 (US$33); trip time is 6 hours. The
fare from Brisbane is A$166 (US$108); trip time is 22 hours.
VISITOR INFORMATION For an information packet, contact Townsville
Enterprise Limited, P.O. Box 1043, Townsville, QLD 4810 (& 07/4726
2728; www.townsvilleonline.com.au). It has two Information Centres. One is
in the heart of town on Flinders Mall (& 1800/801 902 in Australia, or
07/4721 3660); it’s open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm, and weekends
from 9am to 1pm. The other is on the Bruce Highway 10km (6 miles)
south of the city (& 07/4778 3555); it is open daily from 9am to 5pm.
Townsville Enterprise supplies information on Magnetic Island, but also check
the island’s website at www.magnetic-island.com.au.
GETTING AROUND Local Sunbus (& 07/4725 8482) buses depart
Flinders Street Mall. Car-rental chains include Avis (& 07/4721 2688), Budget
(& 07/4725 2344), Hertz (& 07/4775 5950), and Thrifty (& 07/4725 4600).