Getting There Townsville is on the Bruce Highway, a 3-hour drive north of Airlie Beach and 4 1/2 hours south of Cairns. The Bruce Highway breaks temporarily in the city. From the south, take Bruce Highway Alt. 1 route into the city. From the north, the highway leads into the city. The drive from Cairns to Townsville through sugar-cane fields, cloud-topped hills, and lush bushland is a pretty one -- one of the most picturesque stretches in Queensland. Qantas (tel. 13 13 13 in Australia) flies direct from Brisbane. QantasLink flies from Cairns, Brisbane, Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays, and Mackay. Jetstar (tel. 13 15 38 in Australia) flies from Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne's Tullamarine airport, and Virgin Blue (tel. 13 67 89 in Australia) flies direct to Townsville from Brisbane and Sydney daily. Abacus Charters & Tours (tel. 07/4775 5544) runs a door-to-door airport shuttle. It meets all flights from Brisbane, and from Cairns or elsewhere if you book in advance. A trip into town is A$8 (US$6.40/UK£3.20) one-way. A taxi from the airport to most central hotels costs about A$15 (US$12/UK£6). Seven Queensland Rail (tel. 1300 131 722 in Queensland, or 07/3235 1122) long-distance trains stop at Townsville each week. The 19-hour Tilt Train journey from Brisbane costs A$263 (US$210/UK£105). The 24-hour Sunlander journey costs A$179 (US$143/UK£72) for an economy seat, A$237 to A$367 (US$190-US$294/UK£95-UK£147) for a sleeper, and A$661 (US$529/UK£264) in the luxury Queenslander Class. Greyhound Australia (tel. 13 14 99 in Australia) coaches stop at Townsville many times a day on their Cairns-Brisbane-Cairns routes. The fare from Cairns is A$62 (US$50/UK£25); trip time is 6 hours. The fare from Brisbane is A$200 (US$160/UK£80); trip time is 23 hours. Visitor Information For an information packet, contact Townsville Enterprise Limited, P.O. Box 1043, Townsville, QLD 4810 (tel. 07/4726 2728). It has two Information Centres. One is in the heart of town on Flinders Mall (tel. 1800/801 902 in Australia, or 07/4721 3660); it's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm, and weekends from 9am to 1pm. The other is on the Bruce Highway 10km (6 1/4 miles) south of the city (tel. 07/4778 3555); it's open daily from 9am to 5pm. For information on Magnetic Island, also check online. Getting Around Local Sunbus (tel. 07/4725 8482) buses depart Flinders Mall. Car-rental chains include Avis (tel. 07/4721 2688), Budget (tel. 07/4725 2344), Hertz (tel. 07/4775 4821), and Thrifty (tel. 07/4725 4600). Detours Coaches (tel. 07/4771 3986) runs tours to most attractions in and around Townsville. For a taxi, call tel. 13 10 08. | 
