Charters Towers

Charters Towers is a hinterland town in Central Queensland.

Understand

Charters Towers is southwest of Townsville, has a unique and colourful history, and is often referred to as the historic golden city.

Situated near the Burdekin River, Charters Towers has a rich mining, pastoral and World War II heritage that can be enjoyed by visitors today through the unique 'Ghosts of Gold' experience. Charters Towers maintains a range of heritage listed buildings giving the town a lot of charm. You can tour the Venus Battery and explore the Towers Hill World War II bunkers to savour the history of the city that was once referred to as 'The World'!

Get in

By road, Charters Towers is a 90 minute drive from Townsville, a 5 and a half hour drive from Cairns and a 15 hour drive from Brisbane. There are also direct flights from Townsville to Charters Towers.

Get around

See

• 🌍 Zara Clark Museum, 36 Mosman St, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Daily 10am-2pm. Delve into the time when Charters Towers was the second biggest city in Queensland during its first gold rush. Historical artefacts, photographs and memorabilia are all on display. Adult $8, concession $5, children (age 4-17) $2. (updated Feb 2018)
• 🌍 Centenary Park, Cnr of Hackett Terrace and Dalrymple Road, ☎ [phone]. Within the park there is a "Gold Discovery Monument", which features a number of sculptures by Queensland artist Hugh Anderson. There is also a children's playground and "Liberty Swing". (updated Feb 2018)
• Butler's Cottage, Ravenswood, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. This well-preserved cottage gives you a glimpse into how the inhabitants of Charters Towers lived during the late 19th century. (updated Feb 2018)
• WWII Bunkers, Towers Hill, ☎ [phone]. Altogether there are 29 concrete bunkers built during the Second World War peppered around Towers Hill. The bunkers were used to hide and store explosives and ammunition, with none of them facing each other so that an accident in one of them wouldn't set off a chain reaction. Two of the bunkers now have an interaction video and audio feature, so you can learn more about this period of Charters Towers' history. (updated Feb 2018)

Do

• Young's Block Fossicking Area, ☎ [phone]. Fossick for gold and strike it rich. This area had a significant level of gold mining and production in its heyday. The easiest ways to discover fine alluvial gold are by panning or dry blowing (when there is not much water during the dry period). Note that you must have a fossicking licence. (updated Feb 2018)
• World Theatre, 82 - 90 Mosman St, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Wed-Fri 10am-2pm 6pm-late Sat Sun 1pm-6pm. Watch movies, live artistic performances and shows. Go and see the art and sculpture gallery inside too. (updated Feb 2018)

Buy

Eat

• Catch & Cook Seafood & Burger Bar, 162 Gill St, ☎ [phone]. Fish 'n' chips, many types of burgers, fried snacks, cold drinks and desserts. (updated Feb 2018)
• Gold City Chinese Restaurant, 118 Gill St, ☎ [phone]. Buffet-style Chinese. The flavours are catered to Western tastes and are a bit bland if you are looking an authentic experience. (updated Feb 2018)

Drink

• Civic Club (Londoners' Club), 36 Ryan St, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Heritage-listed clubhouse. Have a drink and then play a game of billiards on a table that's over 100 years old. (updated Feb 2018)

Sleep

• Towers Heritage Lodge Motel, 79-97 Flinders Highway, ☎ [phone], toll-free: 1800 880 444. Has 25 rooms ranging from motel rooms to self contained apartments. Large garden area with kids playground, BBQ, pool and more. 
• Cattleman's Rest Motor Inn and Steakhouse, 1 Bridge St (Cnr Bridge & Plant St), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 38 ground floor air-conditioned rooms comprising of Single Suites, Double / Twin Suites, 2 Bedroom Family Rooms, Executive Suites. Onsite a Licensed 'Steakhouse Restaurant' and Cocktail Bar, pool with spa, conference facilities, undercover parking and tour bookings can be arranged. 

Connect

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