Now what do I have to say about Townsville? 
Nicknamed Brownsville due to the fact that it rains much much less than just about anywhere in North Queensland and as such most of the landscape is pretty dull and brown.
Getting there? Fly in from Cairns, Brisbane or Sydney. I think there’s a few flights a week in from Melbourne as well. It does have an international terminal, however it’s currently not being used.
That aside? Townsville is nominally considered the capital of North Queensland. It’s the biggest city in the region. It’s home to one of Australia’s largest Army bases. It has its own university. It’s got pretty decent infrastructure. It’s got a major shipping port (and they’re in the process of building a big cruise ship terminal). It’s really a normal (big regional) city, it doesn’t revolve around the tourism market.
That being said, there is tourist stuff. You can do day trips on the big cats out to the Great Barrier Reef (and it’s actually nicer there than the day trips from the Whitsundays because there’s less people visiting). You can do extended reef trips that focus on diving. You can do trips out to the SS Yongala wreck to go scuba diving (which incidentally was the site of my most scary diving experience…being circled by half a dozen sharks like I was dinner on a dark shipwreck). You can do driving trips an hour up the road to Crystal Creek/Paluma. Which is awesome in summer after its rained and all the waterfalls are running.
And there’s Magnetic Island (Maggie). It used to be purely residential there, but they got their shit together and it’s now a pretty good tourist destination. There’s resorts of all types from the luxury to the backpackers. Getting there, you can either catch the passenger ferry (runs frequently, 20 minute ride), or you can put your car on the barge and take your car over. If you choose not to take a car, the most common way to get around the island is to hire an open topped Moke. They’re a riot. Or there is a public bus. Or you can hire bicycles and stuff as well. You can go bushwalking (and if you’re lucky you might see koalas up in the trees). You can lounge around on the beaches. You can hire jetskis and go on a trip around the island. You can go for a horse ride along the beach Horseshoe Bay. It’s all pretty fun really.
Townsville city itself is a bit dull. But like I said, it was never designed as a tourist destination. It’s slowly trying to transform itself, but it’s taking time. The nicest place to stay in town is the Jupiters Hotel and Casino which is on the breakwater just outside of the CBD (10 minutes walk). It’s got pretty amazing views over the Coral Sea and Magnetic Island. The casino itself basically takes up the first floor, it’s a bit small, but hey, it’s still a casino right?
A note of caution from someone who lived there though. Be careful going out at night. Don’t go out on your own in the city. While the situation there has improved exponentially, there are still racial tensions which are very much bubbling away at the surface. I have seen people physically attacked for telling one of the natives they didn’t have a cigarette to give them when they tried to bum one. Or white people being called white trash for no particular reason. Don’t make that put you off going out or visiting the city. Just be aware of it.
Another thing. North Queensland gets inundated with irukanji and box jellyfish every summer. These things can and will kill you. In summer, if you want to swim in the ocean, you either need to wear a full body stinger suit or you need to swim only in the stinger net enclosures. The locals joke constantly to visitors that “if it’s cuddly and cute it can probably kill you. if it’s ugly it can probably kill you too“. It’s a joke to scare the tourists. But I have to be honest and say it’s probably not far off the truth. There are snakes and spiders that can kill you. There is marine life that can kill you. There are crocodiles around that can kill you. Just be careful.
And if you’re really energetic, go for a run up the goat track on Castle Hill
