Queen Elizabeth, a 294m luxury cruise ship, arrives in Townsville with thousands on-board

The largest cruise ship to ever dock in Townsville has arrived, marking an important moment for the city as leaders are pressured to improve tourist experiences in the CBD. Take a peek on-board >

The largest cruise ship to ever dock in Townsville has arrived putting pressure on the city’s leaders to address the decaying CBD.

The Queen Elizabeth sailed into the newly refurbished Port of Townsville channel on Thursday, bringing almost 3000 people, including tourists and crew, into the city.

While it’s arrival is a boon for the region, business owners and city leaders are concerned about how enticing the CBD is for visitors.

Earlier this week, the Townsville Chamber of Commerce and business owners called on Townsville Enterprise and Townsville City Council to help develop a better experience for visitors in the city heart.

Queen Elizabeth at Townsville Port. Grand Lobby. Picture: Evan Morgan

Market stalls, coffee vans and live music were set-up at Quayside Terminal to greet tourists before they ventured around Townsville, up Castle Hill and across to Magnetic Island for the day.

Queen Elizabeth at Townsville Port. Picture: Evan Morgan

But, leaders could not dodge questions about saving the city’s soul.

Acting Mayor Ann-Maree Greaney said the arrival of Queen Elizabeth marked the start of an important season for the city.

Queen Elizabeth at Townsville Port. Ship's captain Stephen Howarth. Picture: Evan Morgan

“It’s certainly a major boost for the Townsville economy and it really puts us on the map in terms of cruises and what we as a city can provide to the cruise industry,” she said.

Cr Greaney added that the CBD would “always be a work in progress”.

Six cruise ships are expected to dock in Townsville in the next fortnight and 22 during 2025, bringing about 22,000 passengers and 11,500 crew.

The $251m upgrade to the channel will allow ships of up to 300m to dock in the city and give tourists the chance to explore.

Queen Elizabeth at Townsville Port. Passengers Keith McLaughlin and Jim Skiba Picture: Evan Morgan

The Queen Elizabeth, which set sail in Sydney, has so far stopped at Airlie Beach and Townsville with Cairns the next destination before heading back down to Brisbane and finishing back in Sydney.

Chair of the Port of Townsville, Ann Sherry said Townsville was built on the back of the 106 year old port, with the recent widening giving the city a whole new world of opportunities.

“If we really want to benefit from the tourism expansion, then we need to be in the game,” she said.

Ms Sherry added that it was important to cement the city as a must-visit cruise destination for years to come, with the Port hopeful for future growth in the number of ships visiting.

“We are very ambitious for it, we can more than double that, triple that over time. We’ll start with our modest 30,000, but I would say my ambition would be for 100,000 in four years time,” she said.

“That’s what we should be aiming for, so we need to do everything to meet that goal.”

Queen Elizabeth at Townsville Port. Ship's captain Stephen Howarth with Townsville Port chair Ann Sherry. Picture: Evan Morgan

Chief executive of the Port of Townsville Ranee Crosby said the arrival of the mega ship was an exciting new chapter for the city.

“What a remarkable ship, I couldn’t think of a more fitting way to celebrate the completion of a project that has been so significant to us,” she said.

Queen Elizabeth at Townsville Port. Queen Elizabeth at Townsville Port. Townsville Port CEO Ranee Crosby in the Commodore Room. Picture: Evan Morgan

Townsville MP Adam Baillie said it was a wonderful day for the Port of Townsville.

“This project is a great example of what can happen if we have multiple levels of government and private enterprise aligned and working toward one project,” he said.

Queen Elizabeth at Townsville Port. Townsville MP Adam Baillie. Picture: Evan Morgan

Senator for Queensland Anthony Chisholm said there were many long term opportunities for the port and Townsville going forward.

“Critical minerals, we know that’s going to be an important opportunity,” he said.

“This puts Townsville at the forefront and ready to thrive into the future. It’s great that the port had that vision and they were able to work constructively with state and federal governments to fund this and create economic opportunities and jobs into the future.”

The widening of the Port of Townsville marks stage 1 of the $1.6bn Port Expansion Plan, with plans to create six new berths and further widening and deepening of the channel, as trade volumes for the port are expected to triple over the next 30 years.

Originally published as Queen Elizabeth, a 294m luxury cruise ship, arrives in Townsville with thousands on-board