Planning a Trip

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. The drive from Cairns to Townsville through sugar-cane fields, cloud-topped hills, and lush bushland is a pretty one -- one of the most picturesque stretches in Queensland.

Qantas (tel. 13 13 13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au) flies direct from Brisbane. QantasLink flies from Cairns, Brisbane, and Mackay. Jetstar (tel. 13 15 38 in Australia) flies direct from Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne's Tullamarine airport; and Virgin Blue (tel. 13 67 89 in Australia) flies direct to Townsville from Brisbane and Sydney daily.

Abacus Charters & Tours (tel. 1300/554 378 in Australia or 07/4775 5544) runs a door-to-door airport shuttle. It meets all flights from Brisbane, and from Cairns or elsewhere if you book in advance. A trip into town is A$9 (US$8.10/£4.05) one-way. A taxi from the airport to most central hotels costs about A$15 (US$14/£6.75).

Seven Queensland Rail (tel. 1300 131 722 in Queensland, or 07/3235 1122; www.traveltrain.com.au) long-distance trains stop at Townsville each week. The 19-hour Tilt Train journey from Brisbane costs A$270 (US$243/£122). The 24-hour Sunlander journey costs A$184 (US$166/£83) for an economy seat, A$242 to A$374 (US$218-US$337/£109-£168) for a sleeper, and A$694 (US$625/£312) in the luxury Queenslander Class.

Greyhound Australia (tel. 13 14 99 in Australia) coaches stop at Townsville many times a day on their Cairns-Brisbane-Cairns routes. The fare from Cairns is A$64 (US$58/£29); trip time is around 6 hours. The fare from Brisbane is A$205 (US$185/£92); trip time is 23 hours.

Visitor Information

Townsville Enterprise Limited (tel. 07/4726 2728; www.townsvilleonline.com.au) has two information centers. One is in the heart of town on Flinders Mall (tel. 1800/801 902 in Australia or 07/4721 3660; www.townsvilleholidays.info); 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 1/4 miles) south of the city (tel. 07/4778 3555); it's open daily from 9am to 5pm. For information on Magnetic Island, also check www.magneticinformer.com.au, www.magnetic-island.com.au, or www.magneticisland.info.

Getting Around

Local Sunbus (tel. 07/4725 8482) buses depart Flinders Mall. Car-rental chains include Avis (tel. 07/4721 2688), Budget (tel. 07/4725 2344), Hertz (tel. 07/4775 4821), and Thrifty (tel. 07/4725 4600).

Detours Coaches (tel. 07/4728 5311; www.detourcoaches.com) runs tours to most attractions in and around Townsville. For a taxi, call tel. 13 10 08.