Advantages: A cost effective holiday destination with heaps of activities and very few tourists
Disadvantages: Limited places to swim and you can't get out of other peoples way while in the water at designated areas

...During our extended holiday (Queensland-An outback experience) Townsville was one of the towns on the list of places to visit. We arrived in Townsville at about 2pm on a week day, this gave us ample time to look around and find a suitable place to set up camp. We did not book anything in advance as we were unsure of what we really wanted to see or do so we just made the holiday up as we went along. We found a lovely stretch of beech known as Paloranda, this was a quiet area with easy access to all facilities. We were also quite pleased with the accomodation costs. We stayed at a caravan park which was the first one we came to along the beech. We set up our camping area and prepared ourselves for a swim. The water was quite enviting and from our camp we could hear the waves slowly breaking on the sand. We could also smell... Read review

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Advantages: Nice and relaxing
Disadvantages: Can border on boring

...Townsville is a city in North Queensland that is not well known in the tourist market. Which is understandable as the city itself has does not have much to offer the traveller. That said, it is one of the many Australia cities that is attractive for people looking for somewhere to live. However it does have a few redeeming features. The main one of these is that there is direct access to the Great Barrier Reef from Townsville. It also has an International Airport, although you might be a little pressed to find a carrier flying directly there. The only other place in Queensland with this combination of facilities is Cairns. If you do find yourself travelling through Townsville and are looking for a place to rest over for a few days, then I can recommend Magnetic Island. Magnetic Island was named by Captain James Cook as he... Read review

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Advantages: variety of attractions, nice area, weathers good
Disadvantages: you got to fly to Australia which takes a whole day at least.

...I visited Queensland when I went to Australia earlier this year. I went to many of the well known parts of Queensland and some other less common places including, Mission Beach, Cairns, Port Douglas, Townsville, Mackay and the Bowen area. However, because there are so many places to visit in that part of Australia, I didn't manage to fit everything in. The Queensland state is generally a very nice place, I certainly really enjoyed myself. The weather is fantastic, slightly varied depending on which part you're in. There's the very Northern part that is in the rainforest so you get a heavy shower nearly every day, however, because it's so hot you don't mind that it rains because you need to cool down and it doesn't usually last long. Then further south you got the dry tropics which are completely different, hardly rains... Read review

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Advantages: Deserted Island With All The Services You'll Ever Need.
Disadvantages: A Tad Expensive And So Hot.

...Magnetic Island is one of Australia's many national parks and was named by Captain Cook who found that his compass went haywire when he sailed close to its shores. The island lies in the South Pacific just 8 kilometres from the Australian city of Townsville on the coast. In a country that has done a good job at attracting the hoards to its island retreats, Magnetic Island remains a wonderful exception. Its proximity to the mainland and its laidback attitude make for one long picture postcard break away from it all. Getting to 'maggie' is easy. There are at least a dozen sunferries services from the flinders street east terminal in Townsville's city centre. The journey only takes 30 minutes and the ferries are comfortable, timely and provide as much free tea and coffee as you can drink. The return fare is a little pricey... Read review

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Advantages: Wide variety of resorts and activities
Disadvantages: None

...“Beautiful one day, perfect the next” is the catchphrase of the Queensland Tourism Association. The Whitsunday Islands in North Queensland is one of those places that seem to justify the phrase. The Whitsunday Islands is a tropical paradise about three hours south of Townsville and one hour north of Mackay in Queensland, Australia. The islands are situated just off the coast, and inside the Great Barrier Reef. Captain James Cook discovered this paradise on Whitsunday (leading to the name of the group of islands) as he travelled up the east coast of Australia. As such, he was the first to go cruising around the magnificent islands, preceding all the modern tourists by over 200 years. Luckily the modern traveller has more comfortable ways of getting there. An airport on Hamilton Island is the quickest way to get there... Read review

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Advantages: wicked / best zoo in the world
Disadvantages: Steve died :-(

...If you go to one place whilst you are in Australia, go to Australia Zoo it's a fantastic place, the core of Australia! Been Steve Irwin's official zoo, there is a sense that now he has passed away doing what he loved (interacting with nature), that the park has kind of lost its novelty, far, far from it! I went to Australia Zoo last summer and although Steve Irwin had not left us then, he wasn't present at that day, and are day was still immensely enjoyable, interesting and a great climax to our trip! Steve Irwin's legacy will always live on in this zoo, and he was so much of a legend there that it still seems like he is there, going to the zoo now is just as good as when Steve was there! --------------------------- There are all the 'classic' Aussie animals there, kangaroos, koalas, dingoes, wombats, camels and others like... Read review

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Advantages: The experience, The scenery, Meet new friends, It goes on...
Disadvantages: Need some money first, Travelling time

...Last summer myself and a friend ventured into Queensland Australia for 4 weeks. During our short stay, all I can say from the whole experience is that it’s breath taking, exciting and tremendous fun. What’s so good about Australia? Well read the op, if I’ve bored you already then I urge you to read. Pleeeeeaaaaaseeee :) From my own experience and 4 other friends (2 of them Australian), my (our) mission is to tell you everything that needs to be known about doing Australia. Firstly forget about your shorts and shades, the first thing I think you’ll need when heading for Australia is a sense of scale. The home to Heath Ledger, Kylie (mmmm) and, er, Paul Hogan is big. Real big. I’m talking 7,682,300 sq km, that nearly 60 times bigger than England my fellow ciaoers. And given the high cost of internal flights for the backpacker... Read review

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Advantages: Was very clean
Disadvantages: can be noisy

.... Without the code you can not use the computers. For luggage storage you can use the overnight storage it will cost $5 per person per night. Access to this room is strictly between 7.30am and 10pm daily. If you are leaving on a tour before 7.30am you need to arrange overnight storage the night before. The room is secure and locked. The reception offers a travel and tour booking service. Any tours the YHA offer in Australia can be purchased. Coach tickets are also available. The YHA offer value packages grouping accommodation and tours together so you can save. You can book your next YHA in the hostel so you are sure you have a bed or room for your next stop. They can tell you what the availability is as well. Maps are available for the local area from reception so it is easier for you to navigate about the town. A swimming pool and spa... Read review

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Advantages: Anything you could possibly want in a holiday all in 1 country!
Disadvantages: Far from anywhere, long way to get anywhere

...Australia is popular with all travellers, from budget backpackers to luxury holidaymakers, and it isn't surprising considering anything you could possible want to do on a holiday, you can do here. If your idea of a perfect holiday is sunbathing on the sand and the most energetic thing you do is walk to the cocktail stall you can do it here, if you perfect holiday is skiing or snowboarding you can do it here, if your perfect holiday is shopping in the big cities you can do it here, if you enjoy sightseeing, bushwalking, hiking, camping, adventure holidays, getting close to nature and seeing extremes of climates and landscapes you can do it all here! Australia is the 3rd biggest country in the world but the smallest continent. It has a population of around 20 million - more people live in London and it's surrounding suburbs... Read review

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Advantages: Detailed, helpful, indispensable, describes everything you could possibly want!
Disadvantages: Don't know! Only covers WA?!

...People from other parts of Australia often think of WA (Western Australia) as Wait Awhile! But this easy-going, laid-back lifestyle and group of people is just one of its big attractions. And the Lonely Planet guide to WA explains every one in detail, from costs, where to go, where to stay, where to eat, where to shop, what to see, suggested itineraries, suggested timeframes if you want to really explore the state, what not to do etc etc to name but a few! Perth is nearer to Singapore than Sydney and the most isolated city. WA covers almost half of Australia and yet only about 1.5million people permananently reside there, meaning there is a huge expanse of nothingness but this is also one of its major attractions. It never fails to amaze me how you can drive on an open stretch of road for 5 hours, only see a few cars and then look... Read review

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