Hush Hush Biz goes to Townsville.
This last week I was invited to attend with a group of other guests from other parts of Australia,and have a bit of a taste look see at what Townsville is up to, and I must say I had a great time thanks to Townsville Enterprise. The last time I was there was 15 years ago and a lot has changed. My first stop was to have lunch at The Brewery in town and it sure was the best way to start.
A world class fully functioning brewery, restaurant and function centre based in the heart of Townsville City. After a magnificent refurbishment, the heritage listed build- ing captures the essence of old world elegance combined with plush elegance We got to try a few different beers and experience a great lunch and I can highly recommend the Pork Belly dish. 
We then moved on to Magnetic Island and with views seconded to none and a mere 50 metres from Nelly Bay Ferry Terminal, Grand Mercure Apartments Magnetic Island is an Island Resort set on the skirt of the Coral Sea. The hotel has fully self-contained apartments offering magnificent views of Townsville and Cleveland Bay, 4 pools with exercise rooms and a Rooftop Pool area. My one night stay was amazing to wake up in the morning to the sound of water hitting the rocks below and see the breaking of the day. After a breakfest at Peppers Blue on Blue, which is just across from where I stayed also offers great accommodation with a dinning restaurant that looks out to great vista.
The morning was spent in Topless Hire Cars and no we were not topless ourselves but got to see how the locals love to walk up hills to where you see the most amazing views and with that we drove around the Island to see many of the wonderful spots where you can hang out , swimming spots even a nude beach I am told or for the best snorkelling. The great thing is that you are only 20min from the mainland to get there and back. Tickets for return are about $35.00 or you can get budget ticket for longer stays.
The next couple of day we explored in many other delightful ways to see Townsville and I stayed one night at The Grand Hotel, and on my last night Ridges Southbank Townsville, and could not fault both of them as they are in perfecto locations in town and a good selection of rooms to choose from and for the right prices.
For educational trips you can not go pass visiting the Billabong Sanctuary that has amazing wild life, where you can get up close to all the wildlife, and even feed a Croc! Over 25 Acres and about 30 mins out of town it has a real peaceful feeling out there and you get greeted by many ducks and with great hosts from the Billabong. The other fascinating place that I just loved was Reef HQ Great Barrier Reef Aquarium. We had a personal guide to where the hospital for the turtles were to hearing how this is operated is amazing as to the work that is done by the talented dedicated staff it offers so much and is very educational. Of course I can add on the Museum of Topical QLD and to go visit the Botanical Gardens.
My last night was at Townsville Jupiter Hotel and Casino, which was wonderfully hosted and with a magnificent dinner at their “Kobe” restaurant, and all I can say here that for all beef lovers specially this is the place to go, you can experinece endless other treats that are presented so well, and with a great wine list and yes for deserts that are to die for. It was pretty world class in all areas of service and presentation of the food and taste was up there. We ended the night by visiting a few night spots and meet a few of the locals who were all having a great end of the week night out in town, while over in Magnetic Island as once a year there is a Full moon party that attracts a strong 3000 backpackers all who have the time of there life and for the young guns this is the spot to be at.
Needless to say I be returning to Townsville as they are attracting many wonderful events and it is all friendly and easy to get around. For more info go to www.townsvilleenterprise.com.au to see what is happening.
