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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A Weekend in Brisbane

Brisbane is not nearly as famous as Sydney or Melbourne, but we loved Australia’s third largest city. Known as Brissie for short (Aussies love nicknames), it has a great climate and lots to do. With amazing outdoor spaces, and a huge selection of restaurants, we thoroughly enjoyed our weekend in Brisbane. We want to go back!

About Brisbane

The capital of Queensland, Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia. It’s the biggest city we’ve sailed to in our five plus years living aboard, and we loved being anchored in such a cosmopolitan place. The population is more than 2.5 million, way more than Auckland’s 1.6m, our previous biggest port.

Brisbane city sign, weekend in Brisbane
The Brisbane City sign along the park filled South bank

Brisbane has everything a city should have. It’s got tall buildings and bridges, lots of public art, great dining, and outdoor parks. The population is big, but compared to North American cities, didn’t feel crowded. In fact, everything feels spacious and spread out. Even the bars and restaurants have loads of space.

Felons Brewery
Felons Brewery, a huge brewery on the river in Brisbane
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Visiting Australia’s Gold Coast

After the eight day sail from New Zealand, I was happy just to get ashore in Australia. But it was even better than hugging earth, because of where we landed in Australia, Gold Coast. Our time visiting Australia’s Gold Coast was divided between exploring the area and prepping to sail north.

About Australia’s Gold Coast

Gold Coast is a region on the Tasman Sea in the south of Queensland, Australia. Comprised of hundreds of lakes and canals, with barrier islands and an intra-coastal waterway, it’s possible to travel by boat or bike, which is great for us! Plus, there’s an extensive transit system of trams and buses.

Gold Coast encompasses several coastal towns. We were based in the northern part of the region, concentrated in Southport, Main Beach, and Surfers Paradise, surrounded by vacationers and beaches.

Main Beach, Gold Coast, Australia
Main Beach in Gold Coast Australia
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