Townsville
A tour of a cruising yachties ideal stopover, surprising Townsville situated on Australia's northeast tropical coast.
A World Class Cruising Destination
Townsville on Queensland's
tropical north coast is located close to the center of the
Great Barrier Reef, the 7th Wonder of the World. As such it
is also the home of Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine
Park Administrative Centre, the Institute of Marine Science
and James Cook University. It is both a tourist and industrial
centre focussed on a wide range of activities many of which
are associated with the magnificent marine environment on
it's doorstep.
A yacht arriving here from overseas usually will have just
completed a Pacific Island cruise and is most likely seeking
shelter somewhere on the East coast for the cyclone season.
Australian yachts based on the East coast head north in winter
(April - November) and often take the time to visit Townsville
after a cruise in the legendary Whitsunday Islands. The 2
main places to tie up are Breakwater marina and the Townsville
yacht club. Both are busy, popular marinas and often booked
solid between April and November. A new marina is being contemplated
to meet this extra demand. For those "summering" over during the cyclone season, the climate can be hot and
wet but sailing is still OK provided one always keeps an weather
eye out ready to duck into the nearest cyclone hole with a
few day's notice. For those wishing to tie up and fly to a
cooler place, Breakwater Marina is well constructed and considered
safe in any cyclone although a direct hit category 5 cyclone
has yet to test that theory! Townsville has a busy, modern
airport with direct flights to Brisbane, Sydney, Cairns and
many country centres.
Townsville itself is an ideal place to stock up or to work on the boat - all services are available and when the day is done the social life is legendary. Breakwater Marina is located in a garden setting, it is adjacent to "The Strand", a spectacular 2.5Km of waterfront parkland designed for walking, jogging, cycling, picnicking and a variety of family activities. The free barbeques are a great temptation to marina liveaboarders for a get together with cruisers from all over the world. It is a good place to swap stories, seek advice on boat repairs or where to stock up or to plan for the next leg in company "across the top" if you are a world cruiser, or to just socialise under the coconut palms.
Local Attractions
We like Townsville because of the availability of locally grown fresh produce, the walking, swimming and the many cultural events. There is also a good library, art galleries and theatres. Offshore the many islands of the Great Barrier Reef offer protected anchorages including reef atolls with no land above the tide mark.
A Walk along the Strand
An outdoor Art Ephemera was recently held with exhibits positioned along the ocean walkway. Our evening strolls had added interest with these attractive displays.
