Spotlight on Townsville

 

Townsville sits on the East Coast of Australia in the curve of Cape Cleveland overlooking the Coral Sea.

A Cape Cleveland sunrise marks the start of our day in Townsville.

 

Morning is as good a time as any to meet the colourful and noisy locals as they search the Bottle Brushes and the Euodias for a breakfast of honey.

 

Find a Eudoia Tree in a Townsville garden and you might find a Ulysses Butterfly too.  The Metallic Blue wings of the Ulysses known locally as a Dunk Island Blue let you know you have arrived in the Tropics.  I wonder if these Ulysses are attracted to the pink of the Vincas (below) because of the similarly coloured Euodia flowers (above)?  The Ulysses Butterflies lay their eggs in the Euodia tree and the Caterpillars eat the leaves.

After breakfast everyone enjoys a walk along The Strand.  You can tell these Black Cockatoos are females or young by the yellow speckles on their feathers.

When the Cockatoos are not strolling they spend their time pruning the Beach Almond Trees.  With the leaves removed they zero in on the almond and crack the outer shell.  These they drop on the ground beneath to soften for a while, so don’t be offended if it seems they are throwing them at you.

If it is lunch you are having along the Strand you will be accompanied by more locals wanting a free feed.

The sight of Magnetic Island from the Strand, always starts me planning an Island Getaway.

But the view has to be shared with an Ibis or two.

It is a pity that we have run out of time to visit the Great Barrier Reef, but we still have time for the next best thing – Reef HQ.

Say hello to the turtles while you are there.  Reef HQ conducts their own Turtle Hospital tours daily.

After our Reef HQ visit there will be time for me to whisk you away to my favourite waterskiing hole.  You can lie on a grassy bank and gaze up at the old trees.

Or take your pick of ski, plank, finless, skate board or wake board.

Time to head back to town and relax with a Sundowner at the Riverview Tavern at Riverway.

 

Townsville has a population of 200,000.

It is home to the largest Defence Force Base in Australia.

Magnetic Island is 20 minutes by fast catamaran from Ross Creek.

The old Jezzine Barracks site behind the Strand Rock Pool has recently undergone a $40 million redevelopment and incorporates a board walk that connects the Strand with Rowes Bay.

The iconic landmark of Castle Hill in the centre of the City is both a viewpoint and a fitness track.

Reef HQ and the Museum of Tropical North Queensland are side by side on the Ross Creek in Flinders Street East.

Read Fun Things to do in Townsville.

This post forms part of @BootsnAll #Indie30 challenge.