Townsville

The largest city in north Australia, Townsville offers meaningful career pathways and a desirable coastal lifestyle

The Capital of the North - Home of the Good Life

Townsville is a major regional city which provides all the modern conveniences of a big city without the commute time.

Known as the capital of North Queensland, Townsville offers a laid-back tropical lifestyle where you’ll have access to boutique shopping, spectacular events and entertainment, urban street art and a wide-range of dining precincts – from alfresco dining, to coffee on The Strand, to a thriving night life in the many laneway bars and eateries.

Recently crowned an Eco-Destination (Nature Tourism), nature lovers will be at home in Townsville with an average of 300 days of sunshine each year to explore world-heritage ecosystems such as the Wet Tropics rainforests, and the Great Barrier Reef. Indulge your seeker spirit and uncover tropical islands, wetlands the iconic Museum of Underwater Art, hiking trails and beachfronts, all at your doorstep. Townsville is just a short 20 minute ferry ride from the picturesque Magnetic Island and it’s many beaches and Forts walk through the National Park, which is also home to Northern Australia's largest colony of wild koalas.

Also the events capital of the North, you'll have no trouble finding activities to fill your weekends. Find yourself front row at a NRL North Queensland Cowboys or WNBL Townsville Fire home games or enjoy the diverse major events calendar that runs year-round.

Townsville is a place that’s embracing change, quietly transforming with a vision for the future, redefining what it means to live life in full colour.

A place where the best of both worlds is a reality. A place of AND, not OR. Make it in a career of the future, AND live your life your way, where natural wonders AND world-leading innovation coexist, where disconnecting leaves you feeling connected AND opportunities abound. That’s the good life.

Find out how to 'live the good life'

The largest city in north Australia, Townsville offers meaningful career pathways and a desirable coastal lifestyle

Education & Training

144 registered early childhood education and care services including 86 long day care centres
61 schools including primary, secondary, independent, catholic and public schools

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Universities

James Cook University (JCU) is a public university based in Townsville. Established in 1970, the main campus is located in the suburb of Douglas. JCU was the second university in Queensland and the first in North Queensland. The University has a strong and internationally recognised expertise in marine & tropical biology. The JCU Medical School was established in 1999 and is linked with the adjacent tertiary-level Townsville Hospital. The Veterinary Sciences undergraduate facility is the newest in Australia.
CQUniversity first established a presence in Townsville in 2014 with the opening of a Distance Education Study Centre in the CBD. The University quickly felt the demand for a face-to-face teaching presence in Townsville and has since opened a purpose-built campus in the city offering many on-campus courses including nursing, paramedic science, business and psychology as well as supporting growing numbers of online students.

Vocational education

The city is home to the Pimlico and Aitkenvale campuses of TAFE Queensland North — a Technical and Further Education College, a campus of Queensland Agricultural Training Colleges, and Tec-NQ.

Healthcare Facilities

38 aged care services with 1,325 operational places
9 hospitals offering both private and public services

Townsville Hospital (THHS) also encompasses regional hospitals in Ayr, Charters Towers and Ingham – all of which have 24-hour emergency care, a range of patient services and links to the Townsville specialist network of physicians and treatment.

Townsville Hospital & Health Service (THHS)

THHS is the largest tertiary hospital in northern Australia and is the largest emergency department in Queensland, coordinating emergency recovery services across all of North Queensland.

Major specialist areas include:

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Paediatric Intensive Care Unit
Largest children’s services outside of Brisbane
Paediatric oncology
Cardiac catheter lab
Major oncology service
Five Linear Accelerator treating cancer with high energy x-rays
PET scanner
Digital hospital
Medical Research Centre
Specialised birthing centre

Mater Health Service North Queensland

The Mater is the largest private hospital network in Northern Australia with numerous specialist and general facilities in Townsville offered between two centrally located campuses.

Major specialist areas include:

Emergency
Cardiac Care
Orthopaedics
Perinatal Care
Childrens Care
Women’s Health
Allied Health

Featured companies

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Attractions

Strand Water Park

Public Water Fun Park located at the southern end of the popular beachfront area of The Strand

Strand Park & Beaches

Beachfront foreshore with restaurants, grass parklands, sport and playgrounds, water parks and pools

Queensland Museum Tropics

Queensland Museum Tropics showcases North Queensland's cultural and natural heritage.

Castle Hill Lookout

Just metres short of a mountain, Castle Hill offers vehicle access as well as a number of popular walking tracks

Billabong Sanctuary

Meet your favourite Australian animals in a tropical bushland setting on the shores of a billabong.

Magnetic Island

An island paradise just 20 minutes from the city, and home to Northern Australia's largest colony of koalas.

Mount Stuart

An outdoor playground offering downhill mountain biking, rock climbing, road cycling and hiking.

Museum of Underwater Art

Globally-significant underwater artworks located in Townsville, and the adjacent Great Barrier Reef.

Jezzine Barracks

Steeped in military and First Nations history, explore playgrounds, walkways, sculptures and stories.

Connectivity

Air

As North Queensland’s regional hub, Townsville Airport connects Townsville and capital cities with regular direct flights to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Cairns and Darwin, as well as regional centres and remote locations. Serviced by Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar, airnorth, rex and Bonza, the airport is located 5km west of the city centre.

Connection through Cairns International Airport provides direct flights to Indonesia, Singapore, Bali and Japan.

Townsville Airport is also home to the QAL-owned Northern Australian Aerospace Centre of Excellence (NAACEX), a purpose-built hangar precinct for aviation-related businesses.

Rail

From Townsville passengers can enjoy services from Queensland Rail's Spirit of Queensland which is a Brisbane – Cairns service running 5 return trips per week from Townsville Railway Station on Flinders St in the City.

Queensland Rail also also service the Inlander Route from Townsville to Mt Isa with twice weekly return services from Charter Towers Railway Station.

Road

Townsville is accessible via the main roads Flinders Highway, Hervey Range Road, Gregory Development Road and the Bruce Highway.

Townsville to Charters Towers: 136km west via Flinders Highway
Townsville to Mt Isa: 904km west via Flinders Highway
Townsville to Ingham: 112km north via Bruce Highway
Townsville to Greenvale: 252km west via Hervey Range Road and Gregory Development Road
Townsville to Ayr: 88km south via Bruce Highway
Townsville to Airlie Beach: 274km south via Bruce Highway
Townsville to Cairns: 347km north via Bruce Highway
Townsville to Brisbane: 1,352km south via Bruce Highway