Townsville

Greeting upon arrival
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3.17.2007 Townsville, Australia

Townsville was founded in 1864 and is the heart of North Queensland with a population of 130,000. It is a busy port city for the agricultural and mining production of this area. The city is located so that it enjoys about 300 rain free days per year and wonderful temperatures although they do have some humidity. During WWII the U.S. built the largest airbase in the South Pacific here. Today it serves as the base for the local commercial airport. Because of its location, Townsville is home base for a large Australian military defense capability. Its location makes it ideally suited for exploring the Great Barrier Reef. Following monsoons in 1997 and 1998 which caused major damage to the sea wall a major successful development took place. The effort was not only designed to reinstate and protect the foreshore but also to add recreational features to make The Strand a Townsville landmark and centerpiece. They were very successful because we found The Stand attractive and inviting. Our tour today took us around the city and up to the top of Castle Hill-not called a mountain because it lacks 150 feet in height. From there the views are spectacular

The Palmetum
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Our next stop was The Palmetum which has a variety of over 300 palm trees. This park includes a rainforest and is beautifully done and maintained.

We then visited The Museum of Tropical North Queensland. They have a very complete exhibit telling the fascinating story of HMS Pandora, the ship that chased the “Bounty” mutineers, only to be wrecked on the Great Barrier Reef in 1791. Next to the museum built out into the harbor is the famous aquarium containing the largest living coral reef in the world to be found in an aquarium. At two stories tall with giant panoramic windows, the aquarium features a glass tunnel that allows for walking below the ocean amongst the colorful tropical fish and beautiful coral that at one time we would have seen during our scuba diving days.

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Before dinner I chose to go and hear a most interesting lecture by John Bertram. Bertram is the Australian who skippered the wing keeled “Australian 2 to victory over Dennis Connor’s Liberty to win the 1983 America’s Cup, breaking 132 years of American domination and, in the process, breaking the longest running record in the history of modern sport. The comeback from 3-1 down in the final race victory, is said to be the greatest upset in Australian sports history. He talked about the 155 year history of this race, the keys to their success and it’s significance for his country, the influence it has had on the competition since and some of the impact it has on his life. He also touched on this year’s race to be held in Valencia, Spain in April. He used some film clips and all in all I thought it was a terrific presentation and sorry Sallie, Joanne and Donny chose not to go. After dinner the four of us split with the West’s going to the casino and the Wallace’s having a nightcap at the bar where we enjoyed visiting with two couples we have seen but not met, Kay and George Macomber from Lakeland, Florida and Rosie and Geofrey Stubbs from Auckland, NZ. All four are on for the full 126 days and we look forward to getting to know them better.