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

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CHAPTER 6 . QUEENSLAND & THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
Detours Coaches (& 07/4721 5977) runs tours to most attractions in
Townsville.
THE TOP ATTRACTIONS
For details on visiting the Great Barrier Reef from Townsville, see “Exploring the
Great Barrier Reef” earlier in this chapter.
Museum of Tropical Queensland A stunning 2002 addition to
Townsville’s skyline is this A$22-million (US$14.3-million) museum, with its
curved roof reminiscent of a ship in full sail. In pride of place is the amazing
exhibition of relics salvaged from the wreck of HMS Pandora, which lies 33m
(108 ft.) underwater on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, 120km (74 miles)
east of Cape York. The Pandora exhibit includes a built-to-scale replica of a section
of the ship’s bow and its 17m (56-ft.) high foremast. Standing three stories
high, the replica and its copper-clad keel were crafted by local shipwrights for
the museum. Pandora sank in 1791, and the wreck was discovered in 1977. The
exhibition traces the ship’s voyage and the retrieval of the sunken treasure. The
museum has six galleries, including a hands-on science center, and a natural history
display that looks at life in tropical Queensland—above and below the
water. Another is dedicated to north Queensland’s indigenous heritage, with
items from Torres Strait and the South Sea Islands as well as stories from people
of different cultures about the settlement and labor of north Queensland. Touring
exhibitions change every 3 months. Allow 2 to 3 hours.
70–102 Flinders St. (next to Reef HQ). & 07/4726 0600 or 07/4726 0606 info line. www.mtq.qld.gov.au.
Admission A$9 (US$5.85) adults, A$5 (US$3.25) children 4–16, A$6.50 (US$4.20) seniors and students, A$24
(US$16) family of 4. MC, V. Daily 9am–5pm. Closed Christmas, Good Friday, and until 1pm on Anzac Day.
Reef HQ Kids Reef HQ is the education center for the Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park Authority’s headquarters and is the largest living coral reef aquarium
in the world. It underwent a A$6.4 million (US$4.1 million) upgrade in
2002, but the highlight is still walking through a 20m (66-ft.) long see-through
acrylic tunnel, gazing right into a giant predator tank where sharks cruise
silently. The wreck of the SS Yongala provides an eerie backdrop for blacktip and
whitetip reef sharks, leopard sharks, and nurse sharks, sharing their 750,000-
liter (195,000-gal.) home with stingrays, giant trevally, and a green turtle.
Watching them feed is quite a spectacle. The tunnel also reveals the 2.5-millionliter
(650,000-gal.) coral reef exhibit, with its hard and soft corals providing a
home for thousands of colorful fish, giant clams, sea cucumbers, sea stars, and
other creatures. There’s a regular scuba dive show where the divers speak to you
via intercom while they swim with the sharks and feed the fish. Other highlights
include a marine creature touch-tank, a wild sea-turtle rehabilitation center, plus
great interactive activities for children. Reef HQ is an easy walk from the city
center.
2–68 Flinders St. & 07/4750 0800. www.reefHQ.org.au. Admission A$20 (US$13) adults, A$15 (US$9.75)
seniors and students, A$9.50 (US$6.20) children 4–16. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 9am–5pm. Closed Christmas. Public
parking lot opposite Reef HQ. Bus stop 3-min. walk away.
OTHER THINGS TO SEE & DO
The Strand is a 2.5km (1 1 ⁄2-mile) strip with safe swimming beaches, a fitness
circuit, a waterpark for the kids, and plenty of covered picnic areas and free gas
barbecues. Stroll along the promenade or relax at one of many cafes, restaurants,
and bars while you gaze across the Coral Sea to Magnetic Island. For the more