Castle Hill Lookout is on top of Castle Hill and visible from everywhere in Townsville, so you won’t miss it.
This 290-meter-high granite monolith is the city’s most prominent landmark. Castle Hill is made of pink granite and only 18.9 metres short of being tall enough to be a mountain. Walk one of many tracks where you can appreciate the size, and admire 360-degree views, of our beautiful city.
You can walk the hill in about an hour, but it is also drivable if you don’t feel up to walking. The 15 different trails, of varying difficulty levels, lacing the hill provides daily exercise to more than 2,500 locals every day. The Goat Track, which follows a rough path up the hill, also includes approximately 1,300 stairs to climb. If you are hiking, it’s best to time your outing for early morning or late afternoon when temperatures are cooler. Ensure you take plenty of water as there are some drinking fountains by the lookout but nowhere else. Public toilets are also available at the lookout, along with a carpark at the top. If you are drive up though, beware of pedestrians and cyclists as they use the road as well.
Castle Hill also has an interesting World War II history. The American Military had a base on the hill and there is a bunker they used as a lookout during WWII. There is a commonly held belief that they offered to destroy it and repurpose the rock to build a bridge to Magnetic Island.
Looking up at Castle Hill from the Strand you will see The Saint painted on the side of the hill. This local icon was painted on Castle Hill as a prank back in 1962 by university students. It has been photographed countless times from all angles up and down along the Strand.
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