Townsville

Having been to Townsville a few times now, our reason for returning was to snorkel at the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA) on the outer Great Barrier Reef. First stop, a new mask.

Unfortunately rough seas caused our snorkelling trip to be cancelled. We rebooked and extended our stay in Townsville, only to have that tour cancelled too. With no improvement in the marine weather forecast for the next week, we decided to head north and try again another time.

Around Townsville, with views of Magnetic Island.

Military

The Australian Army and RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) maintain a very strong presence in Townsville with the ability to be deployed frequently at very short notice on combat operations outside Australia. Townsville is also the staging point for the movement of personnel and materials to the remote parts of Northern Australia and many overseas locations (from Wikipedia). Chinook Helicopters and other military air and land machinery are commonly seen around Townsville, including tanks.