The months
Townsville City Council gives the season as November to May, when marine stinger activity rises in the water around the city. That covers the hottest months, the school summer holidays and New Year's Eve. If your trip falls in that window, plan your swimming around it rather than hoping for the best.
The nets
Each year the council puts stinger nets out at its most popular beaches. Its October 2024 release names the Strand, Picnic Bay and Horseshoe Bay on Magnetic Island, Pallarenda and Balgal Beach. Lifeguards are on duty at the Strand from 9am every day.
Why the nets are not the end of it
The council says outright that nets are not 100% effective at keeping stingers out. Its advice:
- wear a stinger suit when you go in the water;
- do not sit on, play near or interfere with the enclosures, because jellyfish can wash over the top or through the sides;
- if you are stung, tell the lifeguards or lifesavers on duty straight away.
Three calmer options
The hotel pool
Open 7am to 7pm, infinity-edged and facing the island. No nets, no suits, no stingers.
The Rockpool
The council's stinger-resistant seawater pool at the northern end of the Strand. Free, gently sloping, closed on Wednesdays for cleaning except public holidays.
The Water Park
Fresh-water fun for children on the Strand, closed on Tuesdays except in school and public holidays.
What we tell people who ask
Stinger season is not a reason to skip Townsville. It is a reason to pack or hire a suit, to swim between the flags inside the nets after 9am, and to use the pool when you just want to float. The weather in these months is the reason most people come.
The details of the promenade itself are on our page about the Strand; the island beaches are covered on Magnetic Island.