Banks: 09:30 to 16:00, Monday to Thursday; 09:30 to 17:00, Fridays; 09:30 to 13:00, Saturdays (selected banks only)
Post Offices: 09:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday; 09:00 to 12:00, Saturdays
Government Departments: 08:30 to 17:30, Monday to Friday
Business Centres: 08:30 to 17:30, Monday to Friday
Shops: 08:00 to 21:00, Monday to Friday; 08:00 to 17:00, Saturdays; 13:00 to 20:00, Sundays

The main safety warning when visiting Townsville is to be aware of box jellyfish and other stingers, which plague the waters during the summer months. Luckily, Townsville has two stinger enclosures along its main beaches and visitors should remain within these when swimming as a sting from a box jellyfish can be fatal.

Townsville gets hot in the summer with temperatures sometimes exceeding 40°C. Wearing a high factor sun block is a must, especially for those visiting the beaches and particularly kids. Wearing a hat and a good pair of sunglasses is also highly recommended.

Tropical North Queensland also has some of the world's most dangerous animals, including snakes, crocodiles and box jellyfish. While you are unlikely to happen upon any of these while remaining within the confines of Townsville, with the exception of box jellyfish, if you intend on touring the countryside, then heeding all warning signs and listening to the locals and tour guides is advised. We recommend taking out travel insurance before visiting Townsville.

Electricity: 240 volts, 50Hz

The majority of visitors travelling to Australia won’t need vaccinations unless they have recently been in a yellow fever zone. Townsville is a clean, healthy and well-ordered city with excellent medical facilities at its hospitals and clinics. There are numerous pharmacies in town where generic drugs are sold for common ailments, although a doctor’s prescription will be needed for potent medicines.

Standards of hygiene in eateries in Townsville are high and tap water is perfectly safe to drink, as it is throughout Australia. To prevent dehydration, drinking lots of water is a must while visiting this region of Queensland, especially if you plan on partaking in physical activity.

Being in the tropics, lightweight (natural fibre) clothing is good for year-round usage although having a warmer jacket to hand for cooler winter evenings is a good idea. Ensuring you are well covered by travel insurance before visiting Townsville is important as there are many variables in the region for becoming sick or injured.

All road signs and government literature are in English in Australia and the Townsville region, and English is the country’s main and official language. Although it can be tough to get a handle on the Australian accent at first, it is easy enough to follow once you get accustomed to it.

The official currency of Australia is the Australian dollar (AU$), and has been present here since Sterling was dropped in the 1960s. Note values of the Australian dollar come in denominations of: AU$5, 10, 20, 50, and 100, while coins come in 5, 10, and 50 cents, and AU$1 and 2. One and 2 cent coins were dropped a while back and the 5 cent piece is now the lowest denominator. Products and services that fall outside the 5-cent scope are rounded up.

You can pick up Australian dollars anywhere in the world, but you will almost certainly get a better rate on arrival at Australia’s airports and at ATMs in Australia. In addition, Townsville has plenty of banks that will exchange most currencies for Australian dollars.

The easiest way to pick up the local currency is by making use of a debit or credit card at an ATM. The convenience can’t be beaten and the exchange rates used by the banks are the commercial rates, meaning you will generally get a better deal than if you exchange money elsewhere.

Townsville has an ATM on virtually every street, at banks and in the large shopping centres. Visa, MasterCard, and Diners Club cards are all generally accepted by machines, as well as Cirrus and Maestro systems. Sometimes your local bank will charge you a fee for withdrawing cash from an ATM abroad, although some banks are beginning to wave this fee.

Traveller’s cheques are still preferred by many travellers and are readily accepted by banks and major hotels in the Townsville region. Thomas Cook and American Express traveller’s cheques are preferred.

The importing of any fruit, vegetables, wood products or illegal drugs into Australia is prohibited and penalties for violators are harsh.

The limits on duty free items are as follows: 2.25 litres of alcohol; 250 cigarettes, or 250 grams of cigars or tobacco; and goods/gifts worth no more than AU$900. Children under 18 years of age cannot carry cigarettes or alcohol and their duty free goods limit is just AU$450. Limits on the importing of cash are non-restrictive up to the amount of AU$10,000 and equivalent.

Those who plan on shopping in Townsville should keep receipts for purchases as it may be possible to claim back the 10 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) upon departing Australia.

Townsville is more laid-back than most large Australian cities owing to the tourism dollar and tropical climate. You can get away with wearing shorts and vests throughout the town, although walking around Townsville’s streets bear-chested is considered impolite. The Australians are generally very relaxed and you will find it easy to strike up conversations with locals in all public places.

Casual dress is fine in Townsville’s restaurants and all but the top-end establishments allow you to dine in smart shorts and sandals. Jupiters Casino in Jupiters Townsville Hotel is a different matter, however, and requires collared shirts from gentlemen and appropriately dressed ladies. Table manners are much the same here as in Europe and North America.

There are many barbeque restaurants and BYO places in Townsville, the latter which allows you to ‘bring your own’ bottle of wine where a small corkage fee is applied. Barbecue restaurants are an excellent invention and allow you to purchase your meat and other goodies before cooking it all yourself on the communal grill.

Tipping is not the normal custom in Australia. You will receive good service at most restaurants even without leaving a tip. However, if you feel the need to tip for good service and quality, by all means do. Rounding up to the nearest AU$10 is perfectly acceptable.

All nationals bar New Zealanders need a tourist visa to visit Australia. ETA visas issued by the Australian government's Electronic Travel Authority are free and can be applied for online, meaning no unnecessary trips to embassies or consulates.

In addition, ETA visas are valid for up to a year with free multiple entries to Australia. The only catch is that you will need to pay a fee for obtaining the visa online, but the convenience by far outweighs the cost. With this type of visa, the maximum single stay is three months and you will need to allow a couple of weeks for processing when applying.

Also, be sure to check your passport is valid for at least six months beyond the end date of your stay as you can be disallowed entry if this is not the case.

There are a few tourist information centres in Townsville where you can find decent information on Townsville, Magnetic Island and the surroundings.

Townsville Enterprise Limited
6 Strand
Phone: +61 7 4721 1116
Website: www.townsvilleonline.com.au

Flinders Mall Information Centre
Flinders Mall
Phone: +61 7 4721 3660

Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service Information Office
Phone: +61 7 4721 2399