Townsville 2.0 – Mitchell News

Having spent time in far north Queensland, it was time to start heading south again. Leaving South Mission Beach we headed for a return visit to Townsville. On the way up we had missed seeing our friend Shay – and well, we like Townsville.

It was only a short drive. After a late check-out, we stopped in Ingham for lunch. Last year we discovered that Ingham is a little of Italy in Australia. 23 percent of people living in Ingham are Italian, if you count second and third generation Italians, that percentage is closer to 60 percent. Settled in 1864, Ingham is the heart of the local sugar cane industry, and is where many Italian migrants came to work. It has one of the largest sugar mills in Australia. The annual Australian-Italian Festival in August brings thousands of visitors to the town to enjoy Italian wine, cuisine, music and culture. Sadly, it was not on this year (Covid again). One of the highlights was Mercer Lane. It features 42m of beautiful mosaics, paintings and photos that narrate the history of the cane cutters, their lifestyle and the sugar industry in the area.

Having enjoyed the apartment we had last time in Townsville, we went back to the same block. This time however we got an even better apartment (the best in the block). It helps to go back sometimes. We did not have much planned other than catching up with our friends. We managed to do that plus more. Our friend Aaron joined us for Parkrun on the Saturday and we then went and had breakfast at their place giving us an opportunity to also catch up with Shay. Later in the week Aaron took delivery of a new car and we were honoured to be the first passengers.

We had seen a fish and chips shop nearby that had great reviews. One night we decided to go and get some fish and chips to have down at the beach. Sadly it was closed (only opens on certain days – Covid again). Anyway, we found another fish and chips shop nearby and enjoyed it down at the beach.

If you look around there is always something new to discover. This time round we discovered a street art trail. Venturing through Townsville’s inner city we uncovered street art pieces amongst the streets, alleys and laneways. From stamps of colour to mega-murals, we discovered vibrant and unexpected displays at every turn. There are more 2 dozen murals/works of art.