Category: Oceania

Touring Townsville

We loved Townsville, in the northern part of Queensland, Australia. Having good friends who live there certainly helped us love this tropical town, but that wasn’t the only reason. Townsville has miles of cycling and walking trails, an excellent selection of bars and restaurants, art and museums! We spent a few weeks touring Townsville and have recommendations if you visit. If you’re sailing Australia’s east coast, it’s likely you will.

mural, street art, Townsville
Cool art in downtown Townsville

Where Is Townsville?

Townsville is as far north as we sailed in Australia before cyclone season. It’s located on the coast in northeastern Queensland, 900 miles north of Brisbane. With a population over 170,000, Townsville is the largest settlement in North Queensland. We found a lot to do and enjoyed our time touring Townsville.

Townsville Queensland on a map of Australia
Townsville in the northeast of Australia

When to Visit Townsville

As it is part of the tropical zone of Australia, Townsville’s climate is warm. We arrived in August, wintertime, the ideal season to visit Townsville. Days are warm in winter, but still comfortable, think low 20s C (70F). We left our boat there for our trip to North America and when we returned in October, springtime in Australia, the days were hot. It gets even hotter in summer into the mid 30sC (90F).

Touring Townsville Must: The Strand

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Calamities in Queensland

There are times living on the boat when I think it’s going to break me. We’ve had some calamities in Queensland that have almost put me off living on a boat. While it may look from afar as if we’re always enjoying tropical cocktails while swimming with dolphins, which would be a fun combination, it’s not always fun or easy.

It’s Rough Sometimes

In our first year living on Sava, we made many mistakes and had a lot of rough days. We got past that beginner’s hump. Now, we love our new boat, and living aboard is our life, so we take the bad with the good. But even after six years, there are times when we have almost had enough. Since our not so fun sail from New Zealand, we’ve had a few calamities in Queensland, Australia.

Getting Stuck on Mooring Balls

Some of the anchorages in Queensland have mooring balls. We haven’t used the moorings either because we don’t know who owns them or how to get permission, or they are not rated for our boat’s weight. When you’re anchoring near moorings, you need to leave room so you don’t swing into the boats on balls or swing into the balls or their lines. We haven’t always succeeded in avoiding the moorings.

sailboats anchored in Brisbane
Some sailboats anchored in Brisbane River

Twice we tangled around the moorings, and it wasn’t easy to get off!

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Highlights of the Hinterlands

Over 85% of Australia’s population lives within 50KM of the coast. The area beyond is called hinterland. In the three months since landing in Queensland, Australia, we’ve driven into the hinterlands and explored a few times. These are our highlights of the hinterlands.

Driving to the Hinterlands

Getting to the hinterlands has been easy, as they aren’t far from the big cities and the coast, and on well traveled roads. By now, we’re used to driving on the left side of the road and the right side of the car. Australia has plenty of highways leading between cities and into the hinterlands. The main concern is driving at night because kangaroos come out of nowhere.

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