Charters Towers

Take a step back in time and discover the enchanting town of Charters Towers, just an hour and half west of Townsville. Driving through the streets of Charters Towers is like viewing a living montage of Australian history and heritage. Gold was first discovered in the outback town of Charters Towers in 1871 by Aboriginal horse boy, Jupiter Mosman. It quickly became a booming gold rush town, with over 65 hotels and more than 25,000 people moving to the region. Charters Towers become the second largest town in Queensland and was renowned for having everything a civilised person could want and as a result nicknamed "The World." Today you can still see evidence of those early days with many museums, tours and colonial architecture depicting the past.

Charters Towers offers a number of magnificent heritage buildings which are testament to the prosperity of the early 1980s. The heritage listed Stock Exchange Arcade, The World Theatre, City Hall and the Post Office Tower will have you reaching for your camera. The cemetery, which was established in 1895, is the resting place of Jupiter Mosman.

Don't forget to visit the iconic drive-in cinema for flicks under the stars, the Towers Hill lookout for vast outback landscapes, the Venus Gold Battery to discover the largest surviving Battery relic in Australia and pan for gold at the Miners Cottage.

For something a little different and a truly outback encounter head to Texas Longhorn Wagon Tours and Safaris to sample damper and billy tea and meet 'JR,' the 2013 Guinness World Record holder for the bull with the longest horns.