May 26th & 27th, 2012- Rowes Bay Caravan Park-Townsville

Saturday morning we packed up and headed South for Townsville. The weather was still gloomy but no heavy rain which was good. Travelled through a bit of road construction on the way near Ingham and the traffic was noticeably busier once we got closer to Townsville. We are not enjoying the East Coast traffic compared to the Outback and the West Coast.

We found Rowes Bay Caravan Park with little difficulty and got set up on a couple of very nice sites. Really good size sites with green grass and concrete pads. Amenities were spotless and staff very friendly.

After lunch we went for a drive with the Ransleys along the Strand which is a beautiful waterfront strip in Townsville. Lots of green space and parks in Townsville and quite an attractive city. It is bigger than we expected.

Once finished at the waterfront we climbed up Castle Hill to view Townsville from a number of lookouts. Very steep climb but surprising number of walkers/joggers climbing the hill. We drove up and did a number of short walks at the top to about 4 different lookout points. Great views although the weather definitely hampered them today. Magnetic Island is prominent in the views as is just off the coast.

Sunday morning came out sunny so we headed out again. Took in the downtown markets in the morning which were quite busy but not up to the Darwin or dare I say Maitland standards. We picked up some fresh veggies and fruit which are abundant and reasonable at all the markets in Far North Queensland.

Next stop was the Queen's Garden which is a beautiful park located in downtown Townsville. Beautiful variety of rainforest, palms, gum trees, flowers, and birdlife. We got some nice photos of the various trees, flowers, and butterflies. Also got a few of us having fun climbing some of the larger trees.

We did a bit of shopping at Woolies before heading back to the campground for lunch. We dropped Stephen off at a mates place after lunch; while Carol, Sandra, and I went to Reef HQ. This is the local aquarium featuring the Coral Reef and it's inhabitants. We were rather disappointed as much of it was being renovated with no warnings or discounts being offered to the public. We did get some good pictures; and the fish & coral that we did see were still amazing. Also got to see the Turtle Hospital where they try to rehabilitate injured turtles to be released into the wild. Certainly not of the same calibre of the Perth Aquarium we visited.

We took an unplanned scenic drive through Townsville trying to find a Dan Murphy's and picking up Stephen in the afternoon. Townsville roads are typical Australian with lots of strange intersections and twisty roads. We had Carol's Navman and ourselves in convulsions. I was certainly ready for a drink when we finally made it back to the campground. Townsville has been a pleasant surprise in its size and that it is really a very nice city with lots of well kept parkland. Well worth a visit.