Charters Towers

---

During the gold rush era of the 1870’s it was said that you could buy anything you wanted inChartersTowers.



A large outcrop of gold was found after a flash of lightning by a young indigenous boy, Jupiter Mosman, in 1871. Fortunes were made and lost during the ensuing years but the town continued to prosper. Today quite a few of the grand buildings of the era still stand with heritage listing.



One of the things we really like about ChartersTowersis that the modern day big name companies – Woolworths, K-mart, Aus Post, NAB Bank etc – all occupy these proud old buildings. There is no large shopping complex on the outer reaches of the city centre.



Because of forward bookings we are really only here for 1 day of sight seeing, so we couldn’t appreciate all of the grandeurChartersTowershas to offer, and that is a real shame.



However we took time to travel up Towers Hill which rises about 100m above the granite countryside below and it was here that gold was first discovered. Today the ruins of the old pyrite works are a prominent feature of the Hill – trying to extract every last ounce of gold, the tailings were mixed with chlorine gas to release the last of the rich pickings. Apparently up to 50% gold was lost in the tailings. The tower rose 167 feet, but was demolished during WWII.



Further down the Hill there are several WWII bunkers set into the earth. One bunker had an audio visual display that put you in the cockpit of an American bomber as it flew from Charters Towers out over the Coral Sea. Just behind you and set into the floor of the bunker an image of the bomb bay and the release of the load further added to the experience.



Standing out amongst the towns beautiful buildings was the old Stock Exchange – the first of its kind in Australia. Like the other grand dames of the town she serves as a perfect reminder of the affluence of the day. Today she was a perfect spot for morning tea.



Around the town there is quite an abundance of lush parkland, so there is a “cool” feel toChartersTowers, although I dare say in summer the heat would be quite intense.



It was nice to drive out to the weir and appreciate the blue water as it frothed and spilled over the wall. Signs warned it was a “do not go” zone but there were a couple of brave/foolhardy fishermen at the base of the weir wall.



ChartersTowersis a town I wouldn’t mind returning to at some point in the future as I feel sure there is a lot more to see than we have experienced today.

---