5 Amazing Day Trips From Townsville Australia

Located on the Great Barrier Reef in North Queensland, there are plenty of places to explore around Townsville. Go west to historic Charters Towers, east to the Great Barrier Reef, and north to Paluma. Here are the five best day trips you need to take from Townsville.

Paluma

Paluma is a 45-minute drive north of Townsville. 1,000 metres (3,280 feet) above sea level, Paluma is found at the southern edge of the Wet Tropics of Queensland, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The rainforest hideaway is home to bushwalks, diverse birdlife, and cute cafes. Leading up to the village, you’ll pass Little Crystal Creek, with its 1930s stone arch bridge, waterfalls, and freshwater swimming hole. Big Crystal Creek also has a large swimming hole and picnic area, and is always filled with locals on weekends.

Magnetic Island

Orpheus Island

Orpheus Island is located between Cairns and Townsville on the Great Barrier Reef. It’s surrounded by fringing reef, so it’s a great place to snorkel and dive. You can expect to see 1,100 of the Great Barrier Reef’s 1,500 fish species swimming around Orpheus Island. SeaLink Queensland does organised day trips from Townsville to Orpheus Island’s Yanks Jetty, which includes a buffet lunch and lots of free time for snorkelling and swimming. For a more luxurious day trip to Orpheus Island, there’s the option to arrive via helicopter. There’s a gourmet picnic lunch and snorkelling included in that day trip as well.

Charters Towers

Located about a 1.5-hour drive west of Townsville, Charters Towers is a historic outback town. It boomed and became a gold rush town at the end of the 19th century, and was Queensland’s second largest town for awhile. Fortunately, many of Charters Towers’ heritage buildings are still intact, including the Stock Exchange Building and Arcade, and Lyall’s Store. When in Charters Towers, pan for gold at the The Miners Cottage, and check out the views from Towers Hill Lookout.

Great Barrier Reef

Explore the Great Barrier Reef on a day trip with Adrenalin Dive. The local company does tours to Lodestone Reef several times a week. With depths from one to 20 metres (three to 65 feet), this spot is great for snorkelers, as well as introductory and certified dives. Some of the fish regularly spotted include parrotfish, Maori wrasse, angelfish, and clownfish. You may also see turtles, and white and blacktip reef sharks. For avid divers, Adrenalin Dive also does day trips to the SS Yongala Wreck, which is one of the world’s best dive sites.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.