###Things to do in Townsville Australia and Magnetic Island
Townsville has been on my list of places I want to visit for a long time. Mainly because there are direct flights from Melbourne and I had exhausted most options where this is the case! This isn't to say Townsville isn't worth visiting. Not at all. Townsville is a lovely city. The first thing we noticed about it was how beautiful it looked and how different to Cairns - where we had just come from. It was far more desolate with big rocky mountains and far less vegetation.
Castle Hill
The top of our list of Townsville things to do and see is definitely Castle Hill. This hill is only 286 metres tall but it is the tallest thing around and located very centrally in Townsville.
It's visible from basically anywhere and has magnificent views of Townsville from all sides. This includes the water, Magnetic Island and inland Australia.
The Strand
Enjoying the Strand is one of the fun things to do in Townsville. It's a waterfront area with walkways, beach, pool, water playground, parks, jetty and cafes. There's also a regular night market. It's the perfect place from which to enjoy Townsville.
At one end is Jezzine Barracks (more below) and Rockpool. Rockpool is a big pool area perfect for swimming and splashing around - the perfect thing to do if you are looking for free activities in Townsville. There is also a cafe here.I was surprised to find that the beach along the Strand looks quite nice. It's not a good idea to swim here but you could sunbathe or have a picnic.
Reef HQ
Reef HQ is the world's largest living reef aquarium and worth adding to your stuff to do in Townsville list if you are interested in learning more about the Great Barrier Reef.
There are many different fish and coral on display as well as turtles and baby crocodiles. There's a fair bit of information as well as live talks and a long tunnel. The site is only small - we were done in less than half an hour but we were not there at the right time to hear a talk and our kids get bored easily. If you are interested in learning more about the Great Barrier Reef or you are not going to make it on a trip out to see it then it is one of the recommended places to go in Townsville.