Townsville just the place to let nature ease your mind

The benefits of disconnecting from our everyday lives and connecting to nature are many.

Some call it ‘forest bathing’ or ‘forest therapy’, but it’s commonly known as getting back to nature.

Research suggests spending more time in green habitats can improve our physical and mental wellbeing, lower anxiety levels, reduce blood pressure and improve sleeping patterns.

A beautiful place to do all of this is the Townsville region in north Queensland.

Home to the UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics World Heritage rainforest, Townsville North Queensland is an idyllic spot to immerse yourself in nature.

Townsville is centrally situated along the 2300-kilometre Great Barrier Reef, which is home to one of the most complex natural ecosystems on the planet with 3000 coral reefs, 1625 kinds of fish, and more than 30 species of whales and dolphins.

The Wet Tropics of Queensland includes the Daintree Forest and stretches from Townsville (as the southern gateway) all the way up to Cooktown in the north.

Its 8940 square kilometres of green beauty is a habitat for 663 species of animal, 230 butterfly species and more than 2800 different types of plants.

Townsville, North Queensland. Photo: Mark Fitz

Sustainable tourism attractions in the Townsville region revolve around much of this beautiful nature and culture.

Eddie Smallwood, a traditional owner and tour operator of Gudjuda cultural tours, takes tourists on boat and land tours around Cleveland Bay, just off the coast of Townsville.

“I do rock art tours and bush tucker tours,” he said.

“Tourists love it because a lot of them haven’t seen Aboriginal rock art and with our stories with the rock art, goes back thousands of years. So it’s really about teaching people about survival, how to live off the land.”

The Townsville region is a great place to get active in nature.

There are many hiking trails, but the three most popular would have to be the Castle Hill lookout, which has panoramic views from the top, Magnetic Island national park with its koalas and rock wallabies, and Paluma Range national park, featuring Jourama Falls.

Sculptures at the Museum of Underwater Art. Photo: Cathy Finch Photography

Art, nature and First Nations culture come together at the Museum of Underwater Art, where sculptures can be found on The Strand and at John Brewer Reef, about 80 kilometres off the coast.

A further eight sculptures are set to be installed at the John Brewer Reef this May.

The artworks, by underwater sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, will form a snorkel trail for visitors to the sculptures.

The Townsville region’s diversity is its distinction. Up for Unexpected – Townsville North Queensland.