Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
RAVENSWOOD & CHARTERS TOWERS
You don't have to venture too far inland for a taste of the dry, dusty Queensland out-back - a stark contrast to the
verdant coast. This detour is easily accessible on a day trip from Townsville, but it's worth staying overnight if
you can.
Along the Flinders Hwy, a turn-off at Mingela, 88km southwest of Townsville, leads 40km south to the tiny
gold-mining village of
Ravenswood
(population 350), with a couple of gorgeous turn-of-the-20th-century pubs
with basic (shared-bathroom) accommodation.
A further 47km west along the Flinders Hwy from Mingela is the historic gold-rush town of
Charters Towers
(population 8234). The 'towers' are its surrounding tors (hills). William Skelton Ewbank Melbourne (WSEM)
Charters was the gold commissioner during the rush, when the town was the second-largest, and wealthiest, in
Queensland. With almost 100 mines, some 90 pubs and a stock exchange, it became known simply as 'the
World'.
Today, a highlight of a visit to the Towers is strolling past its glorious facades recalling the grandeur of those
heady days, and listening to locals' ghost stories.
History oozes from the walls of the 1890
Stock Exchange Arcade
, next door to the
Charters Towers visitor
centre
( 07-4761 5533;
www.charterstowers.qld.gov.au
; 74 Mosman St; 9am-5pm). The visitor centre has
a free brochure outlining the
One Square Mile Trail
of the town centre's beautifully preserved 19th-century
buildings. The centre books all tours in town, including those to the reputedly haunted
Venus Gold Battery
,
where gold-bearing ore was crushed and processed from 1872 to 1973.
Come nightfall, panoramic
Towers Hill
, the site where gold was first discovered, is the atmospheric setting for
a free
open-air cinema
showing the 20-minute film
Ghosts After Dark
- check seasonal screening times with the
visitor centre.
In-town accommodation includes the period-furniture-filled former pub, the
Royal Private Hotel
(
07-4787 8688;
www.royalprivate-hotel.com
; 100 Mosman St; d without bathroom $55, d with bathroom from
$95; ). A venture to Charters Towers is incomplete without scoffing one of the award-winning pies at
Towers Bakery
(114 Gill St; pies from $4; 5am-3pm Mon-Fri, to 1pm Sat).
Greyhound Australia
( 1300 473 946;
www.greyhound.com.au
) has four weekly services between Towns-
ville and Charters Towers ($38, 1¾ hours).
The
Queensland Rail
( 1800 872 467;
www.traveltrain.com.au
)
Inlander
train runs twice weekly between
Townsville and Charters Towers ($35, three hours).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Magnetic Island
POP 2500
'Maggie', as she's affectionately called, is a 'real' island. Permanent residents live and
work here and some even make the daily commute to Townsville. Over half of this moun-
tainous, triangular-shaped island's 52 sq km is national park, with scenic walks and
abundant wildlife, including one of Australia's largest concentrations of wild koalas. In-
viting beaches offer adrenalin-pumping water sports or just the chance to bask in the sun-
