Weekend Getaways from Townsville: Magnetic Island, Charters Towers and the Wet Tropics

Townsville's North Queensland position gives it outstanding regional escape options across island, outback and wet tropics landscapes within 1-3 hours. Magnetic Island, accessible by fast ferry from the Townsville terminal in 20-30 minutes, is the city's most popular weekend destination, a national park island with secluded bays including Horseshoe Bay, koala sightings on the walking tracks, snorkelling on the Alma Bay fringing reef and a relaxed resort-village character at Picnic Bay and Nelly Bay. Charters Towers, 1.5 hours west via the Flinders Highway, is Queensland's best-preserved goldfields heritage town with outstanding Victorian-era architecture, the Charters Towers Stock Exchange on the main street and the Zara Clark Museum. The Paluma Range National Park, 60 km north via the Bruce Highway, has rainforest and waterfalls at Jourama Falls and the Cool Waters swimming hole in the rainforest at altitude above Townsville. Ravenswood, 2 hours south on the inland highway, is a ghost-town goldfields village with heritage buildings and a classic bush pub. Wallaman Falls in Girringun National Park, 51 km west of Ingham (2 hours north), is Australia's longest single-drop waterfall at 268 metres in a rainforest setting.