UNIQUE AND INTERESTING

CHARTERS TOWERS –
HERITAGE LIFE IN THE TROPICS

Charters Towers is situated just 90 minutes south-west of Townsville. It is a scenic gold mining city that’s big on history and character.

From a chance discovery of gold in 1872 by a young Aboriginal horse boy, Charters Towers soon turned into a bustling metropolis, which in its heyday boasted being the second largest city in Queensland.

So large was Charters Towers to become, that’s at the height of the gold rush the town included 11 crushing mills, 65 hotels and one of the very best regional Stock Exchanges in Australia, which still stands proudly at the intersection of Gill and Mossman streets.


During the last weekend, I have visited Charters Towers with my husband and was mesmerized to see the magnificent heritage buildings. We first stopped at the Visitors Information Centre on Mossman Street, housed in what was once the Union Bank, built in 1880, and staffed with local volunteers who guided us the sights of interest and helped with accommodation ranging from hotels to motels, caravan parks and budget accommodation.

We walked the One Square Mile, a comfortable stroll which takes in the best of the city’s heritage listed architecture, like the World Theatre, City Hall and the Post Office. There were lots of tourists from other countries also who explored the rich heritage of Charters Towers.

Although mining continues to be an important part of life in Charters Towers, the old fashioned crushers have long laid silent. But links to the glory days of mining can still be explored which includes a trip to Australia’s largest surviving battery relic, the Venus Gold Battery which is located on the outskirts of the city and offers an insight into the city’s incredible real life gold rush of the late 19th century. The battery is of national cultural significance and the largest surviving battery relic in Australia and oldest surviving battery in Queensland. Constructed in 1872, it was a public or custom mill in its heyday and became a State Battery in 1919 to provide one crushing facilities for small miners long after other mills had closed. It ceased commercial operations in 1973 after a century of service. We had a wonderful experience of visiting the Venus Battery.


We also visited the Lissner Park and the Museum. Lissner Park is a seven hectare reserve that was first gazetted for public recreation purposes in 1883. It was the city’s first initiative to compensate for the impact of mining. The park is almost rectangular and bordered by Anne, Church, Deane and Plummer streets.

Charters Towers is such a wonderful place to visit that we are already planning our next trip back. Charters Towers is a city with a big past.