EXPLORE
Townsville
with Deni Griffiths
T
HE Great Barrier Reef
and the tropical islands hugging
the coastline makes it no surprise
Queensland has the highest rate of boat
ownership per capita in Australia.
And Townsville ticks many of the
boxes for people looking for the
perfect boating destination.
With a plethora of reefs, tropical
islands and mangrove-fringed
creek systems readily accessible
from home, it’s estimated one in six
Townsville residents own a boat.
Locals have had to hustle, swing a bat,
and make some noise to get a decent
boat ramp facility, and now, thanks
to a collaboration of the local and
State governments, Townsville has
the largest recreational boat facility of
its type in Australia, near the mouth
of Ross River in South Townsville.
Stage One is complete (pictured
above), and Stage Two is due
for completion in 2017.
Stage Three, which will include a
commercial sector including a bait
and tackle store, kiosk and other boatrelated businesses is pencilled in.
62 | SEPTEMBER 2016
Costing $25m, the Townsville Boating
Recreational Park is an absolute
cracker, and will accommodate
growth for years to come.
There will be approximately 340 carwith-trailer parks available once finished.
There are already 200 car-withtrailer parks, quite a few car parks
for those without trailers, derigging and washdown parks.
Eight of the planned sixteen lanes
are also in, with a floating walkway.
There will be 30m and a 50m
gangway pontoons as well.
As an owner of a larger vessel needing
a deep water ramp, I know how hard
it was to get a park at the Coast Guard
ramp in the city on good weather days.
Boats were often lined up in the river
coming back in, there were trailers left
on the footpaths, people were fined
for parking where they shouldn’t, and
using the ramp was quite stressful.
The new boating park should alleviate
that, and the most anybody will have
to worry about, is wondering how
big to make the fish that got away.
H
EADING out to sea, boaties
can cruise across to Magnetic
Island, Cape Cleveland, the outer reefs
or any number of fishing shoals.
Smaller boats can also pull up on
the sand bar in the river mouth at
low tide, and pump for yabbies.
Further up the river, those in tinnies
target bream, jacks, whiting, barra,
flathead, salmon, and of course, mudcrabs.
ON’T have a boat? Bring the family
down as it’s perfect for a picnic.
Take the kids for a fish on the pedestrian
bridge, let them play on the beautiful
new sheltered playground, stay and
enjoy a barbeque cover in the manicured
landscaped gardens, overlooking
Goondi Creek and Ross River.
Other facilities include security
lighting, CCTV coverage and
a new amenities building.
It’s a good idea to pack
insect repellant, though.
The impressive Townsville Recreation
Boating Park is at the end of Fifth Avenue,
off Boundary Road in South Townsville.
For more information, click here to visit
the Townsville City Council’s website.
D