Well, moving to Australia was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Second best decision was the location-Townsville! The main reason why I moved to Townsville was to study Marine Biology at James Cook University. After a year of studying, I decided to take a break from Uni, focus on making cash to travel and pursue my photography career. During the four years that I lived in Townsville, I spent almost all my time wandering around the area. I’m so thankful that I was able to explore such a beautiful part of the world. Townsville is something else. It’s a ‘small’ coastal city with a very chill vibe and it was the perfect place to come back to after travelling. Most people just pass through Townsville, head straight to the ferry terminal and buy a ticket to Magnetic Island. What most people don’t actually know is, there is so much to do and plenty of beauty to see on the main land. Below i’ve put a few of my favourite spots that you must see in Townsville. I hope you enjoy!
Castle Hill
An iconic landmark. Hands down my favourite spot in Townsville. I think I spent more time on Castle Hill than I did in my own home. You can drive up, walk up, or if you’re feeling fit, run up! I loved exercising on the road or switching it up and doing the goat track. There is so much wildlife that lives on Castle Hill, including wild dogs. I’ve personally seen many, many snakes, lizards, birds, and the one time I didn’t bring my camera, I saw two echidnas! When you get to the top you will find world-class views of the city, the two main beaches and Magnetic Island in the distance. Castle Hill is probably what I miss most about Townsville!
Local Tip: Sunrise is the best on top of Castle Hill. Get up early and watch the first light rise from the ocean. You won’t regret it!
The Strand
The perfect place for an early morning stroll or an evening walk. Along the Strand you will find cafes, hotels, restaurants, bars, and the best gelato in Townsville! This place was my go-to meeting spot to have a coffee with a mate or have a picnic right on the beach. There is a rock pool on the north side of the Strand where you can go for a swim and spot sea turtles along the rocks. Towards the middle there’s a jetty where you will find a lot of people put up a fishing rod. South end you will find a new and improved waterpark, which is great for the kiddos! The Strand is probably the most popular spot in TSV.
Reef HQ
I highly recommend getting yourself on a boat with one of the diving companies, go out to the outer reef and go snorkelling. Seeing the GBR has changed my life and it’s something that I truly miss being down south. If you don’t want to get wet, you have an awesome option of heading to the aquarium! Townsville is so lucky to have the worldโs largest living coral reef aquarium located right on Flinders street.
Street Art
Around the city you can find street art hidden in various locations. Pictured below is my favourite piece! Have you been? If so, whats your favourite?
Click HERE for all of the information on the street artwork.
Paluma National Park ~ Crystal Creek
One of the best natural gems that Tropical North Queensland has to offer is hands down, the waterfalls. There are soooo many to explore and they are all next level-amazing. One of the closest to Townsville only being 40 minutes away is, Crystal Creek located in Paluma National Park. If you’re looking for a cool spot to spend the day, have a picnic and go for a swim- this is it! It doesn’t require high fitness. You can see the waterfall from the bridge above but to get down it’s only a few stairs.
Pictured below is ~ Little Crystal Creek.
Local tip: This place can get very busy during the weekends, school holidays and those extra hot summer days. Make sure to wake up a bit earlier and go in the morning to have this whole place to yourself. I recommend staying away if it’s school holidays. If you don’t mind the crowds, then no need to worry!
Mount Stuart
Perfect spot for sunset! The drive up is maybe 15-20 minutes-ish? When you get to the top of Mount Stuart, you will most likely be welcomed by the peacocks. A quick walk from the parking lot you will instantly see the beautiful views of all of Townsville with Magnetic Island in the distance. The army base is right at the base so most of the land surrounding is army owned. If you do plan to go wandering, make sure to read the signs.
Local tip: I like to think I have the perfect ‘secret’ spot. If you go over the fence from the main lookout and head down a little bit through the bush, there’s a perfect rock to set up a blanket to watch sunset. Obviously – be careful because it’s not guarded.
Hinchinbrook
Technically, i’m heading a bit out of Townsville now. If you have a day to kill, I highly recommend driving a hour north to the Hinchinbrook Region. Australia’s largest island National Park lives here – Hinchinbrook Island. Sadly, I haven’t been there but hopefully one day I will return to explore it’s natural beauty!
Hinchinbrook has so much beauty to offer, especially their beaches! The one pictured below is called, Forrest Beach and it is the perfect spot for sunrise. Please read the signs surrounding the beaches. Crocodiles are known to live in this area. Be smart.
Wallaman Falls ~ Girringun National Park (allow 1hour 30mins to get to Wallaman Falls)
Australia’s highest permanent single drop. It plunges 268 metres in a single-drop! You can see this picturesque waterfall from above but I highly recommend you take the hike down. It’s easy going down but it can be demanding to some people coming back up. If you do go over the fence to get closer to the waterfall once you reach the bottom, be careful because the rocks are very slippery.
Local tip: I’ve made the mistake of doing the hike down wearing thongs, middle of summer with no water. Never make that mistake! Wear good shoes and bring water everywhere you go!
TYTO Wetlands:
The serenity is real. 90-hectare natural wetland full of beautiful wildlife. If you have yet to see a kangaroo – you’re almost guaranteed to see hundreds here. You will also find tropical plant species and birds everywhere!
I have really enjoyed living in the Townsville Region and it was sad to leave. I hope you enjoyed my favourite spots! One place that I did not mention is my favourite sushi bar located in City Lane Arcade on Flinders Street. I’m seriously drooling just thinking about it. I’m even thinking about booking a flight for tomorrow- haha! In all seriousness, this is probably the best sushi i’ve had in Australia and I eat A LOT of sushi. I recommend the hot spicy salmon or tuna with extra hot sauce. Unfortunately I don’t have any photos. Sorry!
~ Ash xx
