About to call Townsville home, and wondering what it’s like?
Townsville has been home sweet home for YWAM Townsville for over 25 years now. We love our city, and we are excited to introduce you to her soon! 🙂 During your time in Townsville, you’ll have lots of time on the weekends to explore our city and the region. Our campus is located right in the centre of town, we are a short walk to some of the best places to visit in Townsville. Here’s our top ten favourite things to do, in no particular order 🙂
1) The Strand
The Strand is swedish for “The beach” 🙂 The pretty seaside foreshore is a ten minute walk from the campus and includes a paved walkway along the whole shorefront. It’s perfect for a walk, run, or bike ride, with a nice sea breeze. There are cafes and restaurants not far from the water, and free barbecues to use along the beach. AND there’s a free water park, technically its for kids – but hey, it’s still pretty fun for adults too 😉 The Strand is the perfect place to spend a Saturday, and is sure to be one of your fave spots during your time in Townsville.
2) Hike Castle Hill
If you’re keen on some exercise combined with a great view, Castle Hill is number 1! Castle Hill has a great view of the city from the top. The ultimate is going up at sunrise or sunset. It takes about 20 minutes to hike up (depending on your fitness level!), with the start of the track about a five minute walk from the campus.
3) Join in for Cheap Tuesday at City Lane
There’s a cute little lane full of restaurants right near the campus. If you’re keen for a meal out, City Lane has some great options! Italian, Korean BBQ, and Japanese to name a few. If you like a good deal – the night to go down is Cheap Tuesday. Join in for $2 Tacos at the Courtyard, or two for one pizzas at Donna Bionda.
4) Live like a local at Flinders Market
Every Sunday morning Flinders Street transforms into an arts, craft and food market. Grab some friends and stroll around with a coffee in hand while checking out the stalls. Make sure you stop by one of the local farmer’s stalls for a pineapple and some mangos! You can usually catch some live music while you’re down there too – anything from a kid playing the recorder to a guy playing the didgeridoo, there’s a great community vibe at Flinders, you’ll feel like a local 🙂 Flinders Street is just a short walk from the campus.
5) Magnetic Island … or as the locals affectionately call it, Maggie.
A day trip to Magnetic Island is a must during your visit to Townsville! Maggie is a 20 minute ferry ride away from the city, and is home to the biggest Koala colony in Australia. There’s so much exploring to be done on the island with lots of beautiful beaches and bays, walking tracks, pockets of cafes and restaurants, and World War II sites. If you’re up for a really fun day, hire a moke and drive around the island like a barbie. Magnetic Island is a pretty and peaceful place where you’re bound to make some memories!
6) Take a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef
It almost seems wrong to come all the way to the tropical north and not go snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef! A trip to the reef is worth saving up for, its like entering another world as soon as you put on your goggles and look beneath the surface. Adrenalin Dive do trips to the reef from Townsville every Sunday. If you’re into diving, S.S Yongala Wreck is worth checking out – it is one of the top five dive wrecks in the world.
7) Hug a koala, feed a kangaroo!
Nothing says Australia like some cute koalas, kangaroos and wombats. During your time with us we’ll take you to Billabong Sanctuary where you can hold a wombat, feed kangaroos, hold a snake (if you’re game!) and cuddle a koala! This is the ultimate place for a classic Aussie selfie.
8) Coffee shops
Forget Starbucks and Tim Hortons, coffee in Australia is the best. We’ve got some pretty good coffee shops in Townsville, and all in walking distance from the campus. The number one coffee shop in Townsville is our one on campus, (I might be biassed) pop on down during your class break for a caffeinated delight.
Other coffee shops in Townsville that have great coffee:
Freelance Roasting on Gregory Street – the place to go when you’re on your way to the Strand.
Alt Brew – the place to go when you want peace & quiet
That Place on Sturt – the place to go when you want to go out with friends – great breakfast spot!
9) Hang a hammock in the courtyard
If you’re feeling lazy and just want some time at “home”, a favourite amongst the DTS students is to hang up a hammock in between the trees in the campus courtyard. Take a book, put in your headphones, and stare up at the palm trees above you, perfect!
10) Eat gelato at the beach
In Townsville we have 320 days of sunshine a year, which means pretty much every day is great for the beach and some gelato. Head to Juliette’s down at the Strand and eat your gelato while looking out over the water in a beach chair. Yep, its summer every day around here. Soon you’ll be able to add your own personal faves to this list, how fun!
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