A stay in Townsville isn’t complete without a walk along Riverway Circuit. Just a walk? Well, why not jog, cycle, walk the dog or push the stroller – take your pick!

Adjacent to Itara & Jacana Apartments, and visible from every balcony, Townsville’s Riverway Circuit is an easily accessible footpath running alongside Ross River. With a round trip distance of 3700m, according to the informative signage, an early morning walk along the Circuit sounded like a great way to start the day.

So that’s what I did.

How glorious to catch the sun’s rays breaking through the gum trees and sparkling on the water’s glassy surface, the light dancing over the waterlilies and playing amongst the rocks and vegetation on the river’s banks. The sky was just starting to lighten and hint at the gorgeous blue to come as I headed along Riverway Circuit towards Pioneer Park and the Riverway Precinct. Plenty of other people were on the track too – jogging, walking briskly and chatting, walking dogs, or simply strolling and enjoying the view. Cyclists are also welcome along the Circuit, provided they dismount where indicated.

Chris, a local who lived “a bit down the road” he told me, walked the Circuit regularly with his 2 dogs. “It’s a ripper spot, the track is flat and wide enough to easily pass other people, the surface is pretty smooth and there’s even water stops for me and the dogs if we need them. Keep your eyes open for the wildlife!” he winked as he headed west while I continued east.

I made a mental note of the free-to-use gas barbeques I passed – great for a family catch-up. The Riverway Lagoons, free public swimming pools, also looked inviting. These lifeguard-patrolled pools cover an area larger than three Olympic swimming pools. They’re open from dawn til early evening each day and cater for toddlers right through to lap swimmers. I saw safety features within the Riverway Precinct, including emergency alarm points, ramps, handrails and tactile indicator tiles. One ramp lead me past a bale of turtles — at least 20 long necks holding up 40 eyes to watch me watching them.

The Riverway Circuit took me onto Federation Footbridge to cross Ross River then head along the other side. Two agile wallabies watched me stroll by from the safety of the bushes. I stopped to watch a comb-crested jacana walking delicately over the lily pads, its elongated toes spreading its body weight so wide across the plants it barely got its feet wet. So intent on foraging, the jacana appeared blissfully unaware of the small freshwater crocodile, or ‘freshie’, nearby. It hovered within the dark weeds at the river’s edge, its narrow snout, eyes and top of its head catching the sun’s warmth. Let’s keep moving, I quickly decided!

I was told later by another local that it’s the saltwater crocs you need to stay well clear of, but ‘you’ll be fine if you stay out of the water’. Yes, no wonder those public pools I passed earlier are popular.

Winding along past homes that made the most of the water views, the sealed track reached Vickers Bridge, a wide, smooth footbridge underneath the Overpass. The traffic bumped noisily along above me while Ross River flowed silently below. I rejoined the main riverside path and gasped at the beautiful vista – the earlier hint of sky blue was developing while the golden glow of sunrise remained dominant along the horizon.  That gold light reflected off the water’s surface, illuminating the tall gums, grasses, lightpoles and even sections of footpath that could hold the glow. Magical.

The Riverway Circuit signage had informed me I would take 4625 steps to complete it — I skipped the last few hundred back to the apartment, settled back on the balcony with my breakfast coffee and watched that blue sky come to life. A great way to start the day.

How to get there:

Access Riverway Precinct and Riverway Circuit from Riverway Drive. Turn into Village Drive at the traffic lights (intersection of Riverway Drive and Village Boulevard).

Riverway has over 400 carparking spaces available.

Riverway attractions:

• Riverway Lagoons
• Pinnacles Gallery
• Citylibraries Riverway
• Riverway Stadium
• Ngulu Marga Yulga Uriny – Games Trail
• Café at Riverway

*I travelled at my own expense

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