Family Activities Townsville: Best Kids Days Out

Townsville's family activity landscape combines the extraordinary marine biology of Reef HQ Aquarium (the world's largest living coral reef aquarium), the natural history of the Museum of Tropical Queensland (including the Pandora maritime heritage), the family wildlife of the Billabong Sanctuary, and the beach and outdoor adventure of Magnetic Island to provide a comprehensive family program for the North Queensland capital. The dry season tropical weather (May to October) provides exceptional outdoor family conditions.

Reef HQ Aquarium (2-68 Flinders Street East, Townsville CBD), Reef HQ is the world's largest living coral reef aquarium and the Australian Institute of Marine Science's primary public education facility, with the 2.5 million litre living coral reef tank (with sharks, rays, turtles, and thousands of reef fish), the predator exhibit (daily shark and ray feeding with commentary), the coral spawning displays, and the turtle hospital (for injured sea turtles undergoing rehabilitation) providing an exceptional marine biology family experience in the Townsville CBD. Reef HQ is regularly cited as one of Australia's finest aquarium experiences.

Museum of Tropical Queensland (70-102 Flinders Street East, Townsville CBD), the Museum of Tropical Queensland is North Queensland's finest museum and provides an outstanding family natural and maritime history experience, with the Pandora gallery (the wreck of HMS Pandora, the ship sent to capture the Bounty mutineers, which sank on the Great Barrier Reef in 1791, with recovered artefacts displayed), the dinosaur gallery, the North Queensland natural history collection, and the interactive science exhibits creating an excellent all-weather family museum day in the CBD.

Billabong Sanctuary (Bruce Highway, Nome, 17 km south), the Billabong Sanctuary is Townsville's finest wildlife park, with the saltwater crocodile shows (feeding demonstrations with large wild-caught crocodiles), the koala holding, the wombat encounters, the snake shows, and the Australian animal interaction areas providing a comprehensive North Queensland wildlife experience 17 kilometres south of the city. The crocodile feeding demonstrates the extraordinary power of Australia's apex predators.