It was time to do some serious sightseeing.  The first place everyone visits in Townsville is Castle Hill – mainly because it completely dominates the city, kind of like a mini Gibraltar (minus the cable car).  You can walk, run or cycle up and down the steep winding road to the top (3 km), take one of the many hiking trails (shorter but rougher and steeper) – or do what we did, and drive.

At the top is one of the better lookouts we’ve been to; in fact there are multiple vantage points, giving a 360 degree view over the city, Magnetic Island, and the whole of Cleveland Bay.  We could pick out our street, watch the boats chugging to and from Maggie, spot the radar at Cape Pallarenda, and watch planes take off and land (except that none did while we were up there).  There is also a WW2 observation post, and some other wartime relics.  We admired the fitness and fortitude of the people on foot and wheels, as we huffed and puffed up the stairs to the highest viewpoint.

We picnicked in the Botanical Gardens below; similar to the Palmetum, but more formal, with a rose garden, hedges, and an aviary.  Then strategically parking the car at a gelateria, we meandered along The Strand, north to Kissing Point Barracks.  It has an interesting history, and was where two guns were positioned to guard the bay.  During WW2, its searchlights were employed to deter 3 bombing attacks on Townsville by the Japanese.  These days there are several memorials, lots of informative panels, and you can even trace the timeline of the Battle of the Coral Sea, by following lines and arrows on a section of pathway (a bit like orienteering?).  We watched two hawks fishing; their aerial acrobatics were astonishing.

We retraced our steps past the Rock Pool swimming lagoon, and as far as the Ocean Siren sculpture.  The wind had sprung up, and although the gelati looked enticing, we decided it was too cold.  We must be turning into Queenslanders – next we’ll be donning thermal underwear!