On the Queensland coast 1,370 km north of Brisbane. This is the second largest city in Queensland (after Brisbane), and has a population of almost 200,000. The original inhabitants were the crocodiles of Ross Creek. In 1864 they were joined by a Scot called John Melton Black, who arrived to found a settlement. This canny entrepreneur had managed to elicit the money for the settlement out of Robert Towns, a Sydney ship’s captain with a penchant for financial speculation. The settlement itself was largely built by imported Chinese, who were paid the sort of wages you’d expect for working an 80-hour week on a Scots-run project in the tropics in those days. Many of them suffered severe deprivation (and not just of a financial nature). But in the end the rudimentary settlement was completed, along with a distinctly inadequate harbour.

Although Townsville lacked a good harbour, it soon began attracting trade. The port at Bowen, further down the coast, was cut off by a series of floods, which meant that the stockmen of northern Queensland simply had no other way out. Despite itself, Townsville began to flourish. Then gold was discovered in the hinterland at Ravenswood and Charters Towers. The inadequacies of Black’s original harbour were now exposed to the full rigours of a gold rush. But there was just no other way to get to the goldfields. So Townsville boomed (as best it could).

It is on this foundation of financial acumen (being in the right place at the right time) that modern Townsville’s fortunes are based. And it’s still in the right place – especially when it comes to taking advantage of northern Queensland’s tourist boom. The resort islands and the Great Barrier Reef are all just offshore.

Alas, things aren’t what they used to be. Today Townsville even has a good harbour. And, though most visitors now come in by way of the airport, this shows no signs of silting up.

Townsville has several sights. Undoubtedly the best is the Reef HQ Aquarium (www.reefhq.com.au), which is at the north-eastern end of main Flinders Street, by Ross Creek (open daily 9.30 am to 5 pm; entry fee). Reef HG Aquarium has a number of different attractions. The most exciting is the world’s largest coral-reef aquarium, which contains reconstructions of the Great Barrier Reef, complete with all kinds of tropical fish, turtles and rays. To make it even more real and create the right conditions, there’s a wave simulator. You can also walk down a glass tunnel through the shark tank. Another tank gives you the opportunity to get a (painless) close-up view of the deadly box jellyfish.

Anyone interested in shipwrecks should certainly visit the Maritime Museum of Townsville (www.townsvillemaritimemuseum.org.au), which is on the opposite bank of Ross Creek towards the northern end of Palmer Street, and has several exhibits from the famous Yongala wreck which went down in a hurricane in 1911, drowning more than 100 passengers.

The shopping centre of town is the Flinders Street Mall. Besides all the usual fun of the retail fair, there’s also a lively craft market on Sundays.

For the best view of town, head out to Castle Hill, which is just 2.5 km east of the centre. The path to the top is off Stanley Street. The peak is 285 m high and gives you a great view out over the town and sea. On a clear day you can easily see Magnetic Island to the north. This is the nearest holiday island, just 10 km from town.

Townsville is one of the best places in Australia to learn how to dive. The most able instructors are at Mike Ball Watersports (www.mikeball.com; +61 7 4053 0500; resv@mikeball.com), where they run a variety of courses. These include trips out to the reef, and you end up with a certificate of competence (essential if you wish to hire diving equipment elsewhere).