Townsville and Charters Towers

Carmen Friend
May 24, 2018
2 min read

Arriving into Townsville to have the car serviced and some items under warranty fixed on the van we passed the massive army base and then the airforce base next to where we were staying. The military presence in and around the Townsville area is massive. There are many training areas here which we saw the army especially going into. The army base runs for many kilometres and holds a large array of military vehicles some of which you can see along the road.

The airforce base we could hear the black hawk helicopters doing practise at night and during the day. There were other helicopters also there for practising maneuver's. Townsville itself is a very industry looking city. Along 'The Strand' which is on the water front there are many beautiful houses and also schools. There are water parks and swimming pools as they do get crocs here. The beach is patrolled for swimming! Magnetic Island is also a short ferry ride from Townsville and has many tourists during the season.

We took a day trip out to Charters Towers doing a loop back through the Hervey Range. Charters Towers is a gorgeous old town with many buildings dating back to the late 1800's. It was once a gold mining town but these days many travellers stay for a night and then continue on their way as this is a main travelling to the Northern Territory and Red Centre.

Many road trains pass through this area - we did see a few with 3 trailers measuring around 53m in length. These guys travel long distances to deliver or collect items.

The road back through the Harvey Range was a really nice drive. You basically travel through the middle of the army training grounds through winding hills. This road was only sealed in 2005 but was the original route for travellers to get to Charters Towers back in the day.