Townsville

Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of the Sunshine Coast). Townsville hosts a significant number of governmental, community and major business administrative offices for the northern half of the state. Part of the larger local government area of the City of Townsville, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. The city is adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef. The city is also a major industrial centre, home to one of the world's largest zinc refineries, a nickel refinery and many other similar activities. As of December 2020, $30M operations to expand the Port of Townsville are underway, which involve channel widening and installation of a 70-tonne Liebherr Super Post Panamax Ship-to-Shore crane to allow much larger cargo and passenger ships to utilise the port. It is an increasingly important port due to its proximity to Asia and major trading partners such as China. Dominant sectors of its diverse economy include defence, administration, health and education, manufacturing, energy, transport and logistics. The city is a national hub for renewable energy, in green hydrogen and polysilicon, as well as the centre of CopperString 2032 being Australia's largest renewable transmission project. Townsville is Australia's 'fortress city', home to a large part of the strategic capability of the ADF, offering essential services including maintenance and supply chains including one of the largest military bases in Australia as well as a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base that can accommodate most military aircraft in service. Townsville is the industrial heart of northern Australia with a GRP of $15.1 billion in 2023. The city is served by Townsville Airport and the Port of Townsville, the largest general freight and container port in northern Australia. Popular attractions include "The Strand", a long tropical beach and garden strip; Riverway, a riverfront parkland attraction located on the banks of Ross River; Reef HQ, which has been under renovation since 2021, a large tropical aquarium holding many of the Great Barrier Reef's native flora and fauna; the Museum of Tropical Queensland, built around a display of relics from the sunken British warship HMS Pandora; Castle Hill or as it was originally known, Cootharinga, the most prominent landmark of the area and a popular place for exercise; The Townsville Sports Reserve; and Magnetic Island, a large neighbouring island, the vast majority of which is national park.

Infobox

Country

Australia

State

Queensland

LGA

mw- City of Townsville

Location

1,348 km (838 mi) NNW of Brisbane 348 km (216 mi) SSE of Cairns 386 km (240 mi) NW of Mackay 1,267 km (787 mi) NNW of Sunshine Coast 1,434 km (891 mi) NNW of Gold Coast

Established

1865

• Mayor

Nick Dametto

• State electorates

TownsvilleThuringowaMundingburraBurdekinHinchinbrook

• Federal divisions

Herbert (majority)Dawson (minor part)

• Total

202,367 (As of 2025)

Elevation

15 m (49 ft)

• Density

291.890/km2 (755.99/sq mi)

Time zone

UTC 10 (AEST)

Postcode

4810

County

Elphinstone

Mean max temp

28.9 °C (84.0 °F)

Mean min temp

19.8 °C (67.6 °F)

Annual rainfall

1,134.7 mm (44.67 in)