Townsville: the tropical gateway to the Great Barrier Reef

The Reef HQ Museum of Natural History, with an entire aquarium dedicated to the coral reef, remains the world's largest living coral aquarium.

A few minutes by ferry, Magnetic Island, with its secluded beaches and wild kangaroos, remains one of the most accessible islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

Venturing offshore, one reaches the reef dive sites, including the wreck of the SS Yongala, among the world's most famous for marine biodiversity.

Toward evening, Townsville's waterfront, called The Strand, animates with walks and restaurants with views of the tropical sunset.

The wreck of the SS Yongala, which sank during a cyclone in 1911 with one hundred twenty-two people on board, remains today one of the world's most spectacular wreck diving sites for the abundance of marine life that inhabits it.

Magnetic Island, which takes its name from supposed magnetic interferences observed by Captain Cook in the eighteenth century, hosts one of Australia's largest wild koala populations.