Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DAY TRIPS TO THE REEF
Most boats visiting the Reef from Townsville are live-aboard vessels that make
trips of 2 or more days, designed for serious divers.
Barrier Reef Dive, Cruise
& Travel
(
&
1800/636 778
in Australia, or 07/4772 5800) has day trips to
Keeper Reef and John Brewer Reef. It takes only 1
1
⁄
2
hours to reach John Brewer
Reef, where you can make introductory dives for A$60 (US$39) for the first and
A$30 (US$20) for the second, while certified divers can make two dives for a
very reasonable A$60 (US$39); all gear is included. The cruise costs A$104
(US$68) for adults, A$84 (US$56) for seniors, A$54 (US$35) for children 5 to
15, and A$270 (US$176) for a family. The price includes lunch and morning
and afternoon tea. There are fresh water showers on board. Cruises depart
Townsville at 9am, with a pickup at Magnetic Island en route, and returns by
about 5:45pm. Several other operators including
The Dive Bell
(
&
07/4721
1155
), and
Adrenalin Dive
(
&
07/4724 0600
) have trips to the Yongala
Wreck, the Coral Sea, and the Reef.
THE TOP ATTRACTIONS
Museum of Tropical Queensland
A stunning 2002 addition to
Townsville's skyline is this A$22 million (US$14.3 million) museum, with its
curved roof reminiscent of a ship in full sail. In pride of place is the amazing
exhibition of relics salvaged from the wreck of HMS
Pandora,
which lies 33m
(108 ft.) underwater on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, 120km (74 miles)
east of Cape York. The
Pandora
exhibit includes a built-to-scale replica of a sec-
tion of the ship's bow and its 17m (56-ft.) high foremast. Standing three stories
high, the replica and its copper-clad keel were crafted by local shipwrights for
the museum.
Pandora
sank in 1791, and the wreck was discovered in 1977. The
exhibition traces the ship's voyage and the retrieval of the sunken treasure. The
museum has six galleries, including a hands-on science center, and a natural his-
tory display that looks at life in tropical Queensland—above and below the
water. Another is dedicated to north Queensland's indigenous heritage, with
items from Torres Strait and the South Sea Islands as well as stories from people
of different cultures about the settlement and labor of north Queensland. Tour-
ing exhibitions change every 3 months. Allow 2 to 3 hours.
70-102 Flinders St. (next to Reef HQ).
&
07/4726 0600,
or 07/4726 0606 info line. www.mtq.qld.gov.au.
Admission A$9 (US$5.85) adults, A$6.50 (US$4.20) seniors and students, A$5 (US$3.25) children 4-16,, A$24
(US$16) families. MC, V. Daily 9am-5pm. Closed Christmas, Good Friday, and until 1pm on Anzac Day (Apr 25).
Reef HQ
Reef HQ is the education center for the Great Barrier Reef
Marine Park Authority's headquarters and is the largest living coral reef aquarium
in the world. It underwent a A$6.4 million (US$4.1 million) upgrade in 2002,
but the highlight is still walking through a 20m-long (66-ft.) see-through acrylic
tunnel, gazing right into a giant predator tank where sharks cruise silently. The
wreck of the SS
Yongala
provides an eerie backdrop for blacktip and whitetip reef
sharks, leopard sharks, and nurse sharks, sharing their 750,000-liter (195,000-
gal.) home with stingrays, giant trevally, and a green turtle. Watching them feed
is quite a spectacle. The tunnel also reveals the 2.5-million-liter (650,000-gal.)
coral reef exhibit, with its hard and soft corals providing a home for thousands of
colorful fish, giant clams, sea cucumbers, sea stars, and other creatures. There's a
regular scuba dive show where the divers speak to you via intercom while they
swim with the sharks and feed the fish. Other highlights include a marine crea-
ture touch-tank, a wild sea-turtle rehabilitation center, plus great interactive activ-
ities for children. Reef HQ is an easy walk from the city center.
Kids
