Townsville is often overlooked because it has fewer tourist attractions than Cairns, which is 170 mi/275 km to the northwest. But it also has fewer tourists, which means it feels more like a typical Australian town than a mecca for travelers headed to the Great Barrier Reef.
At least a one-day stop is warranted there just to see the Great Barrier Reef Wonderland, an aquarium that contains a re-created coral reef. Under artificial conditions, the aquarium fosters 150 different species of coral... Subscribe to travel42 to read the full Destination Guide. travel42 offers professionally written guides on more than 5,700 travel destinations and ports-of-call worldwide. Go to travel-42.com to learn more, or call 1.866.566.8136 to subscribe. Copyright (c) 2015 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. travel42.