Townsville, city (1991 pop. 186,757), NE Queensland, Australia, on Cleveland Bay. It is a major port. Wool, hides, meat, copper, and sugar are the chief exports. Copper and sugar refining, meat and fish packing and freezing, and cement making are other industries. Within easy reach of the Great Barrier Reef, it is an important tourist center. Townsville was founded in 1864; the neighboring city of Thuringowa was amalgamated with Townsville in 2008. James Cook Univ. (1970) is located there.
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