Transport in Townsville, Queensland facts for kids
This article is about Transport in Townsville, Queensland.
Contents
Road
The Bruce Highway (A1) bypasses the city and runs through the western suburbs, and the Flinders Highway (A6), the main highway to western localities such as Mount Isa and the Northern Territory, meets the Bruce Highway just south of Townsville. The Bruce Highway links Townsville to all of the State's major cities along the eastern seaboard, including Cairns, Proserpine, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg and Brisbane, the state capital.
Townsville has an orbital motorway, and is called the Townsville Ring Road and is the new Bruce Highway link that bypasses Townsville city and link the Bruce Highway south of Townsville to the Bruce Highway in the north-west urban area. The first stage of the motorway, Douglas Arterial Road opened in 2005. The second stage opened in 2009.
In addition to the city's highways and motorway, it is serviced by a system of state and local gov routes, mainly suburban and arterial roads which span to all parts of the metropolitan area.
Public transport
Townsville's public transport system consists of bus services operated by Sunbus. Sunbus provides regular services to and from many parts of the city, and also operates several express routes. For example, routes 1, 1A, 1B, 1C and 1X link the CBD to the Townsville Hospital via Stockland and to the suburb of Kelso. A public transport route is also available from the CBD to Bushland Beach, a route run by Townsville's Hermit Park Bus Service, also Townsville's biggest Charter Bus Service.
In addition to the bus system, Taxis operate 24 hours a day and service all parts of the metropolitan area.
Sea
Townsville has a significant port at the mouth of Ross Creek.The Port of Townsville mainly handles cargoes of cement and nickel ore, for processing at the Yabulu Nickel Refinery, 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of the port. The port also serves as an export point for sugar and for products from north Queensland's mines. The port has three sugar storage sheds, with the newest being the largest under-cover storage area in Australia.
Regular ferry services operate to Magnetic Island and Palm Island. The service to Magnetic Island is operated by Sunferries.
Air
Townsville International Airport at Garbutt was greatly expanded by U.S. forces during World War II. These expansions made Townsville's airfield the largest in the southern hemisphere for some time. The airport has since been rebuilt several times. Townsville International Airport serves as a hub for Queensland regional airline Alliance Airlines, which operates charter services to major mines located in outback Queensland. The airport land is also shared with RAAF Base Townsville. The airport was upgraded in 2003 to include new terminal departure and arrivals areas, and three new aerobridges. Townsville International Airport has direct flights to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane as well as direct connections to many regional centres in Queensland including Cairns, Mackay, Hamilton Island and Mount Isa. International flights resumed on 3 December 2010 with Strategic Airlines services to Bali (Denpasar) twice weekly. In 2015, Jetstar began regular international flights from Townsville to Denpasar, Bali.
The Airport is served by all three major Australian domestic carriers - Qantas, Jetstar Airways, and Virgin Australia - as well as regional carriers QantasLink, Regional Express Airlines, Alliance Airlines and Skytrans Airlines
