At the heart of the Great Sandy National Park, the Cooloola Recreation Area provides wild landscapes and coastal views to rival neighboring Fraser Island. Adventurers that choose to stay on the mainland can explore woodlands, waterways, and wildflower-blanketed headlands bordered by towering sand dunes and rocky cliffs.
The sea has always been vital to the life and commerce of coastal Townsville. Learn more about the city’s maritime and naval history at the Maritime Museum of Townsville. Located in the heritage-listed Port Building and with various annexes and gardens, the museum’s galleries present a detailed history of everything from local pearl diving and shipwrecks to the Battle of the Coral Sea during World War II.
The Army Museum North Queensland—also known as the Jezzine Barracks Military Museum—presents the history of the Australian military in the region through exhibits, artifacts, and interactive displays. This Townsville museum includes information from the establishment of the Australian Army in North Queensland in the late 19th century through more recent conflicts.
Set on a rocky headland looking out across the ocean, Kissing Point Fortification was built in 1870. For more than 100 years, the fort defended colonial Queensland from such perceived threats as Russian and French forces. Today, it offers sweeping views.
Townsville’s Jezzine Barracks (also called the Kissing Point Fortification) was in continuous use by the military from 1870, the year it was built, until 2006. Now, the former barracks area is administered by a community trust, and offers a range of outdoor, cultural, and historic attractions within landscaped park land.
On the northeastern coast of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world, Waddy Point offers seclusion away from the crowds along with opportunities for such outdoor pursuits as fishing, surfing, swimming, kayking, and hiking. Offering campgrounds and a hotel, it’s also possible to spend the night.
With more than 300 varieties of palms on display over 42 acres (17 hectares, Townsville’s The Palmetum represents almost every species of palm that exists throughout the world. Visitors can meander along walking paths through the trees and admire the tropical birds that thrive in this lush tropical environment.
