The Saint #36: The Great Barrier Reef
Townsville is your ticket to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef which has less boating traffic and impact from human activity, giving visitors access to some of the most diverse coral and marine life at some the best sites in the world.
It’s also home to one of the world’s best wreck dives. Certified divers can tick the SS Yongala Wreck off their bucket list and explore the site’s pristine shipwreck, array of hard and soft coral and spectacular marine life, including turtles, marble rays, wrasse, giant gropers, sharks and migrating humpback whales.
If fishing floats your boat, then you too are catered for. Keeper, Lodestone and John Brewer are the closest reefs to Townsville. Further afield, Grub Reef to the south and the 'Slashers' group to the north offer excellent reef fishing for Trout, Red Emperor, Red Throat and Spanish Mackerel. Approximately 80nm offshore is the continental shelf and the world famous Myrmidon reef. This reef is very unique as it has the continental shelf actually wrap around it with some spectacular dropoffs and massive upwellings. This reef offers some of the best Dogtooth Tuna fishing in Australia.
Cal often brags about the huge fish he catches on the reefs off the coast of Townsville. Like a true fisherman he won’t share the coordinates to his favourite spots in the vicinity of S19 18 and E147 01 but I’ve heard him mention the following reefs: Bramble, Arab, Big Broadhurst, Davies, Roxburgh and Centipede. I wish I could figure out the location of some tree fishing he’s told me about.
