There are two official information centers in town. One is in the heart of the city on Flinders Square (  tel. 1800/801 902 in Australia or 07/4721 3660; www.townsvillenorthqueensland.com.au); it’s open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm, and weekends from 9am to 1pm. The other is in the Museum of Tropical Queensland.

Magnetic Island:
There is no information center on Magnetic Island. Stop off at the Flinders Street Visitor Information Centre (  tel. 1800/801 902 in Australia, or 07/4721 3660) in Townsville before you cross to the island. It’s open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm, and weekends from 9am to 1pm. For information on Magnetic Island, also check www.magneticinformer.com.au, www.magnetic-island.com.au, or www.magneticisland.info.

Getting There

By Car 
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.

BY PLANE
  Qantas (  tel. 13 13 13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au) flies direct from Brisbane. QantasLink flies from Cairns and Brisbane. Jetstar (  tel. 13 15 38 in Australia) flies direct from Sydney and Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport; and Virgin Australia (  tel. 13 67 89 in Australia) flies direct from Brisbane and Sydney daily. Con-X-ion (  tel. 1300/266 9466 in Australia; www.con-X-ion.com) runs an airport shuttle. A trip into town is A$10 one-way. A taxi from the airport to most central hotels costs about A$22.

By Train
  Seven Queensland Rail (  tel. 1300 131 722 in Queensland, or 07/3235 1122; www.queenslandrail.com.au) long-distance trains stop at Townsville each week. The 19-hour Spirit of Queensland journey from Brisbane costs A$189 or A$332 for a railbed. The 24-hour Sunlander journey costs A$141 for an economy seat, A$245 to A$386 for a sleeper, and A$825 in the luxury Queenslander Class.

BY BUS
Greyhound Australia (  tel. 1300/473 946 in Australia or 07/4772 5100 in Townsville) coaches stop at Townsville several times a day on their Cairns-Brisbane-Cairns routes. The fare from Cairns is A$60; trip time is around 5 to 6 hours. The fare from Brisbane is A$264; trip time is 23 hours.

Magnetic Island

 Sealink (  tel. 07/4726 0800; www.sealinkqld.com.au) runs 19 round-trip ferry services a day from the Breakwater terminal on Sir Leslie Thiess Drive. Round-trip tickets are A$32 for adults, A$16 for children 5 to 14, and A$74 for families of five. The trip takes about 20 minutes.

Getting Around

Local Sunbus (  tel. 07/4771 9800) buses depart Flinders Street. Car-rental chains include Avis (  tel. 07/4799 2022), Budget (  tel. 07/4762 7433), Europcar (  tel. 07/4762 7050), Hertz (  tel. 07/4775 4821), and Thrifty (  tel. 07/4725 4600).

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

.Magnetic Island

  You can take your car on the ferry, but most people get around by renting an open-sided minimoke (similar to a golf cart) from the many rental outfits on the island. Minimokes are unlikely to go much over 60 kmph (36 mph). MI Wheels (  tel. 07/4758 1111; www.miwheels.com.au) rents them—and other vehicles—from around A$65 to A$80 a day. Local Sun Bus (  tel. 07/4778 5130; www.sunbus.com.au) will get you anywhere on the island for a daily fare of A$7.20 adults and A$3.60 children aged 5 to 15.




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