Situated in the dry tropics of North Queensland, Townsville is located approximately 1380 km north of Brisbane, the state's capital, and 350 km south from Cairns. The Townsville region is comprised of the twin cities Townsville and Thuringowa, and, with a population exceeding 130,000, is the largest population centre in Queensland outside the south-east corner.

Townsville was established in 1864 and was named after the Sydney businessman Robert Towns, who financed the first settlement. Originally used as a port for shipping tallow, today the city provides a major shipping port for minerals, sugar and meat. And it is the administrative centre of North Queensland. There is also a major army base in Townsville. For the visitor, a host of scenic attractions await to be explored. Both reef and rainforest are within easy reach, and heading inland leads you to the historical regions of the gold rush era of a century ago. Two World Heritage Areas - the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area - are close by. Townsville also boasts one of the best scuba diving sites in Australia - the Yongola wreck.