🇦🇺 Staying with Kangaroos in Townsville 🦘🏕️

After saying goodbye to the red dirt and outback, we finally reached the East Coast! First stop – Townsville! After days of non-stop driving, we decided to rest here for 2 days. Before entering the city, we headed straight to Mt Stuart Lookout to embrace the city from above. The view of the vast coastline and bustling port was breathtaking – returning to the coastal city after the wild inland felt surreal! 🌊🌆 Townsville is a major military hub and important port in Northern Australia. You can feel the city’s well-planned layout and vibrant energy. To our surprise, we even spotted a curious wild wallaby at the lookout – so adorable! 🦘💕 We expected sun and beaches, but sudden heavy rain washed away our plans ☔😅. Two straight days of rain turned our "beach vacation" into a "library retreat." We spent our time studying and working at the City Library – a different kind of local experience, I guess! 📚💻 This was also a chance to try something new for accommodation. After staying in central Australia for a while, we’ve learned that campsites rated above 4 on WikiCamps are usually great. But in Townsville, all the highly-rated caravan parks were fully booked 😮, so we tried Hipcamp for the first time and booked a private campsite. Here’s the experience: ✅ Pros: So much quieter than big caravan parks! Only 3-4 groups in the whole campground – very private and peaceful. ❌ Cons: As a private site, facilities like showers and kitchens were basic. The most magical part happened after dark 🌙. When we returned to our tent, the grass around us was filled with "locals" – wallabies hopping everywhere! It felt like we were staying in their backyard 🏞️💫. Now, rested and recharged, we’re heading further north – next stop, the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef: Cairns! 🐠🌴 #RoadTripAustralia #ExploreAustralia #Townsville #WildlifeEncounters #AustraliaTravel #Hipcamp