Townsville, Magnetic Island, Mission Beach Visitor Information

TOWNSVILLE PUNCHES WELL ABOVE ITS WEIGHT

For a city of less than 200,000 people, Townsville is punching well above its weight.

No other Australian city its size can boast what Townsville has to offer. Where else can you find a regional city supporting four national sporting teams: the North Queensland Cowboys (National Rugby League), Townsville Crocodiles (National Basketball League), Townsville Flames (National Women’s Basketball League) and North Queensland Fury (A-League)?

Throw in the annual V8 Supercars event and two Davis Cup ties in the past 10 years and it’s easy to see why Townsville has earned a reputation as the sporting capital of regional Australia.

But it’s not all fun and games.

Townsville’s GRP (Gross Regional Product) of $8.2 billion in 2007/08 was up 18% on the previous year and the population has surged from 146,000 in 2001 to more than 180,000.

So what, apart from sport, is drawing people to Townsville?

For some it’s the climate: more than 300 days of sunshine every year and winter temperatures that range from 12 to 25 degrees. It’s hot in summer, but air-conditioned homes, workplaces, shopping centres and cars take the sting out of that.

For others it’s the lifestyle: Townsville’s international award-winning Strand esplanade, where you can take a stroll, ride a skateboard, enjoy a coffee, or cook a family barbecue – while gazing across the waves to nearby Magnetic Island - is as good as it gets. Add the Palmer Street restaurants and the Flinders Street East nightclub strip and there’s something for everyone.

Then there’s the local attractions: Billabong Sanctuary, where you can cuddle a koala and smile at a crocodile; idyllic Magnetic Island, just a 20-minute ferry ride from the Townsville breakwater; Great Barrier Reef cruises; a one-hour drive to the tropical rainforest at Paluma; or an outback experience at Charters Towers.

But back to business, and why Townsville’s economy is so vibrant. The answer is diversity, starting with a 5000-strong (and growing) defence base at Lavarack Barracks; the internationally acclaimed James Cook University; a modern airport handling more than 1.5 million passengers a year; federal, state and local government regional headquarters; and a thriving retail trade sector – it’s all part of the mix that makes Townsville not only a great place to live, but an amazing place to visit.