August 2016. Just a short trip to Townsville (via Cairns and Mission Beach) to see Chris and Ellen, living just below Castle Hill. They run up to the top as part of their boot camp training! We drove to the top for great views out to Magnetic Island where we spent a few days with them.
Townsville is a coastal city in northeastern Queensland, Australia. Pleasant enough with some nice restaurants and places to wander.We enjoyed walking along The Strand esplanade in the wind. The Reef HQ Aquarium has marine life and coral from the Great Barrier Reef, plus a sea turtle hospital- an interesting tour.
Magnetic Island is home to Northern Australia’s largest colony of koalas living in the wild and is 20 minutes from Townsville by boat. Roughly two thirds of Magnetic Island is National Park with secluded but fairly easily accessible bays and beaches. The Island has nearly 25 kilometres of walking tracks meandering through the protected national parks.
Northern Queensland is certainly different landscape to NZ. The drive to Cairns and back (for flights) gave us a new appreciation for the dry and brush filled landscape of northern Queensland broken only by the banana plantations. Closer to Townsville is the magnificent Hinchinbrook Island, which appears to just rise out of the landscape. It is in fact the largest island on the Barrier reef and is completely uninhabited – a lush wildlife reserve.
