Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth is the first big cruise ship to navigate Townsville’s newly widened shipping channel after it arrived in the North Queensland port today.
Former Carnival Australia CEO, now chair of the Port of Townsville Limited, Ann Sherry AO, was on hand to welcome the ship which docked at 7:30am and will depart at 6pm.
Sherry took part in the traditional plaque exchange between the ship and the Port to mark the vessel’s maiden arrival in the Queensland city.
Queen Elizabeth is the second-largest vessel ever built for the Cunard cruise line, measuring 294 metres. Onboard were 2,092 passengers and 911 crews, ready to immerse themselves in Townsville’s tropical lifestyle.
Queen Elizabeth’s call into Townsville, under the guidance of Captain Stephen Howarth, is the culmination of a $251 million Channel Upgrade Project to increase the capacity of the Port of Townsville including attracting large cruise ships to capture the economic benefits of cruise tourism.
CLIA MD Joel Katz welcomed the arrival.
“With 28 cruise ships scheduled to visit Townsville in 2025, the upgraded port stands as a beacon for economic growth and sustainable tourism, delivering millions of dollars of economic impact to regional Queensland,” he said.
“As one of Australia’s fastest-growing cruise destinations, Townsville demonstrates the transformative power of investing in infrastructure that supports the tourism economy while prioritising environmental stewardship, highlighted by its ECO Destination Certification.”
The visit will be first of many large cruise ships docking in Townsville, which has been facilitated by the Port of Townsville’s $251 million Channel Upgrade project, which Townsville Enterprise (TEL) advocated for in recent years.
Townsville Enterprise, the peak economic development and destination management organisation for the region, was expecting the vessel to cause a stir with CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith adding that local tour operators would be catering for the influx of passengers the larger cruise vessels would bring in.
The Port of Townsville is Northern Australia’s largest container and automotive port, and the country’s leading exporter of copper, zinc, lead, sugar, fertiliser and molasses.
Feature image: Queen Elizabeth in Townsville: Instagram
