It seems that a new form of me-tooism is taking hold out here on the campaign trail: geographical me-tooism, the shadowing of one party by another across the country.

On Monday, the Liberals launched their campaign at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane. On the same day, Labor were in Townsville, having their pictures taken with big, phallic weaponry.

Today, a perfect symmetrical inversion: Labor launched their campaign at QPAC while John Howard and his attendant entourage made their way to Townsville.

They'd better be careful or they'll wind up double-booking a hotel function room on election night.

To be fair, there were some important differences between the two leaders' visits to Northern Queensland. Where Rudd was making defence policy announcements, Howard was, well, pork-barrelling again.

Another day, another electorate, another $30 million.

Speaking at the newest facility of industrial property developers BM Webb Holdings, where he (and we) pretended to enjoy a mangy but well-intentioned barbecue lunch, Howard made two announcements aimed squarely at the people of Townsville.

The first was that a re-elected Coalition Government would provide $10 million towards the establishment of a V8 Supercar facility in the city. What this says about his green credentials is anybody's guess.

The second was that it would also provide $20 million for the redevelopment of one the city's malls.

"This is a great day for Townsville," said Member for Herbert Peter Lindsay.

"PM, you're a great visitor to Townsville. You're often here. Thank you for keeping us in your heart."

Of course, Grandpa John is hardly likely to keep it anywhere else at this point in the electoral cycle. In his very considered seat-by-seat campaign, most of the measures he has announced over the course of the last five weeks have had a local focus.

He’s in the market for votes and he’s prepared to pay top dollar.

But Townsville is doing pretty well for itself, if we are to take John Howard's word for it. He pointed out twice in his announcement, and then again later at a press conference, that this is the fastest growing city in Queensland. Unemployment is down, investment is up, and optimism is spreading faster than the news that Labor's launch has been delayed.

Is such a city really in need of massive electoral bribes? Surely a far worthier recipient of $30 million would have been, say, the slowest growing city in Queensland?

With its healthy margin of 6.2 per cent, the Liberals really shouldn't lose Herbert. Highly localised spending like this, however, makes you wonder what the internal polls are saying. Oh, to be a fly on the wall at campaign headquarters…

Meanwhile, Howard's appearances continue to follow a predictable pattern. On either side of his announcements, which come in an exciting range of grey, the media events begin and end with what I call 'theatre' and the journalists call 'colour'.

Townsville, it is safe to say, is positively oozing colour. Everyone has an interesting face or an even more interesting way with words. Here's a representative sample:

"Come on, woman," says Peter Lindsay, addressing the wife of the company’s owner by her sex. "Get in the picture."

Colourful, right?

Mrs Webb obliges and the press go to work with their flashes, probing long lenses, and other things. Mrs Webb is momentarily taken aback by the violence and ferocity of the attention.

"Hooley dooley," she says.

See? Colourful.