An Outback Experience

Charters Towers is a city with a great past. At one time it was one of the richest cities in the world as deep mines extracted huge amounts of gold from difficult rock. That era is long gone, but now the city lives on as a centre for huge cattle ranches and as a growing tourist destination.

We loved walking the main street, talking to the locals, looking at some of the historic buildings and staying in some good accomodations. Perhaps best of all was the opportunity to experience outback life on a working cattle station.

Quick Tips:

Charters Towers can be visited on a day trip from Townsville but it is better to spend more time in the district and really get the feel for this region.

The town has many good accommodation options and there is plenty to occupy at least a full day of your time. The surrounding area has much appeal and you can stay in several different locations.

Best Way To Get Around:

It is ideal to have your own vehicle. Distances within the city are not great but if you want to experience a feel for the outback, a car is almost essential.

We entered the door of the York Street B & B and went back a century in time. Our room was decorated in heritage style, the historic cottage with its wide cool verandas came right out of the early 1900s and the home-style atmosphere was of another age. It took little imagination to think that Charters Towers was still an bustling outback mining town and we were stopping for breath before we plunged into the social whirl. Then we saw the attached bathroom facilities and the air-conditioning and we returned to the 21st century.

Hosts Bob and Dayle greeted us on arrival and offered welcoming complementary drinks. After a long drive, it was just what was needed. The bedroom, with its double bed, was cozy rather than spacious but it was homely and comfortable. We went out for a light dinner then returned to sit with some of the other guests in the lounge where we enjoyed port and chocolates. What indulgence!!

Breakfast next morning was served in the dining room. There was a wide range of food on offer but we couldn’t go past the home-made muffins, biscuits and jams. Surely this is one of the joys of staying in a small bed and breakfast accommodation. Before leaving we watched in amazement as Bob hand fed the wild lorikeets and butcher birds that gathered near the back door.

York Street B & B has 5 guestrooms, all with attached bathrooms. There is an outdoor pool but it was far too cold for that when we visited. As we were leaving we discovered that there was also further accommodation out the back. This operates as the York Street Lodge and is down market from the B & B. Rooms are serviced daily but there are shared bathroom facilities and a help-yourself light breakfast applies. At A$45/couple, these rooms are an attractive alternative for people on a lower travel budget.

Cost: A$72 double includes full breakfast

We were keenly anticipating our visit here even before we arrived in the area. We had pre-booked the accommodation and had received a very welcoming letter from owners Rhonda and Jack Smith telling us something about what to expect. "Bluff Downs is a real-life cattle station that welcomes visitors rather than a tourist destination with a few cattle", they wrote. "It is not a luxury retreat, nor a gourmet restaurant, but we would like you to share a part of our unstructured lifestyle, living in the family homestead, and enjoying traditional bush meals".

We drove north from Charters Towers for 70 kilometres before we saw the Bluff Downs sign. It was a surprise to discover the homestead was 29 kilometres off the sealed road along a gravel/dirt road. At a few points the road was rough and in the middle of the wet season (January-March) it could be difficult in a conventional vehicle. When we arrived at the homestead we decided it was all worth while. The 100-year-old building is situated in a rich oasis on the bank of the Basalt River. It is magical.

Rhonda greeted us and showed us our room. Luxurious it was not; comfortable it certainly was. Modern bathroom facilities with shower, basin and flush toilet were just ‘along the veranda’. Then it was on to the huge back veranda for tea/coffee and fresh scones with jam and cream with other guests. Rhonda then suggested we might like to do a tour of the homestead complex. We saw the ringers quarters, the station workshop, the storehouse where 12 months provisions can be stored, the river and falls, and probably most interesting of all, the palaeontology museum.

Bluff Downs is the site of the only known Australian fossils from the Pliocene Age (4-4.5 million years ago). The fossils that are found are not of dinosaurs but of megafauna – giant kangaroos, cow-size marsupials, marsupial lion and giant goannas. Scientists come to carry out digs but Rhonda and guests also have the chance to fossick and find specimens. Rhonda’s collection is amazing. That evening we ate from rare crockery and gold cutlery in the formal dining room before retiring for a cozy night.

Over the next day and a half we helped feed the calves, kangaroo, pig, and deer that wander around the homestead grounds. We walked to the graves of the original property owners who settled here in 1863. Rhonda took us in one of the station vehicles to a watering point where hundreds of cattle congregate for water. We went to the cattle yard to see cattle being dipped as a protection against cattle tic. At other times they would be branding or loading. We walked to the bottom billabong to watch the colony of rock wallabies and flocks of white cockatoos. We sat in wonderment during the evenings listening to the stories from Bram, one of Rhonda’s cowboy sons. On the last morning we visited the fossil site.

This whole experience was something unforgettable.

The tour assembled in the foyer of the theatre complex. If we saw nothing else, we would have still had an experience for this area is outstanding. The foyer was originally the Australian Bank of Commerce Building (1891) and it has been fully restored with minimal changes. To one side is the Cor Mundi gift shop and tourist booking agency with a selection of local handicraft and some very unusual pieces that we have not seen elsewhere. Ahead lies the large community space used as an art gallery and education area.

The tour takes you into the new 660-seat performing arts auditorium. This is a wonderful facility for a relatively small community. Our guide, Su McLennan, explained that the Dalrymple Shire realised that there was a need to unite the district, increase the diversity of experience and help feed the soul of local residents. The Shire established a steering committee, which consulted the community for two and a half years before completing plans for a multi-functional complex on this site. The theatre is its centrepiece. Since opening in 1996 it has projected Charters Towers and Dalrymple Shire residents into the top 1% of theatre going communities in Australia.

Next port of call was the two cinemas. We were taken into the projection room for a unique look at the equipment. That was an interesting experience. Visits were then made to the Dungavell’s Bar (only operates when the theatre is being used) and to Lawson’s Restaurant. Then we headed upstairs into the old bank building. The upper floor has been converted into a series of meeting rooms. One contains the still blood stained table from an early incident in the building. Finally we looked into the Charters Towers and Dalrymple Archives Centre, which is open on Sunday mornings for personal research into the fascinating history of this very interesting region.

The tour was extremely interesting but our greatest memory is the amazing vision and leadership given by the councilors of the Dalrymple Shire to create such a complex for the community. We congratulate them.

We joined the tour at the information centre. We were the last to board because all the other passengers had been collected from their accommodation. After a brief word about the City Hall building (1888), the restored Stock Exchange building (1887), and the front of the World Theatre (1891), we headed out to gold country.

Our first stop was Towers Hill. At the base of the hill is the gold discovery monument commemorating the find in 1871 that led to one of Australia’s most frenzied gold rushes and the formation of Charters Towers. Part way up the hill we passed the seismograph station that records earthquakes over a large area of the Asia-Pacific region. The view from the hill is extensive and tour operator Ted Allan indicated many past and present features from gold rush times.

The next half-hour was spent visiting the site of some of the largest mine shafts and viewing the remains of the huge pyrites works that existed from 1888 to 1892. Unfortunately the huge 167 foot brick smokestack was destroyed in World War II. We drove past restored Pfeiffer House (1880), the Masonic temple (1876), the former German Church (1886) and other historic buildings. Next stop was at the Civic Club, which was originally built as the Londoners Club in 1886. This was once the domain of wealthy and powerful businessmen but now everyone is welcome. Inside the building remains much as it always was with its two full size billiard tables, its private card rooms and old bar. The original pressed iron ceiling and the photographs from the city’s glory days awed us. The club is open to visitors Monday to Saturday 10:30am to 8pm.

After further exploration of the city, the final stop was at Ay Ot Lookout House, a restored private residence from 1886. As we drove back to the central city Ted indicated the wooden bell tower (1876) at St Columbia’s Church, the gracious courthouse (1891) and the School of Mines (1900) as well as several other points of interest.

We were happy with the tour. Perhaps it is not spectacular scenery but you see and learn much about the past, which you would not know just driving by yourself. It should be the first thing you do when visiting Charters Towers.

Address: 74 Mosman Street
City: Charters Towers, Australia
Telephone: (07) 4752 0314; fax: (07) 4752 0315

This is the central point for information and bookings for the Charters Towers/Dalrymple region. The centre is manned by permanent staff and part-time volunteers and it provides a wealth of information on the whole area. You can contact them on email: tourinfocentre@httech.com.au

There are four publications that everyone visiting Charters Towers must obtain. All are free and all are available at the information centre. Your visit will be incomplete with What to see in Charters Towers; Where to visit in the Dalrymple Shire, Welcome to Charters Towers – The World; and the full colour Charters Towers Tourist Guide.

We added to this information by talking with the information centre staff. We were impressed by their enthusiasm and knowledge. Being local helps but they also appeared to have been through a knowledge training course, and were full of enthusiasm for the local region. While waiting for a tour we listened to the questions being asked by other visitors and were amazed by the diversity. Nothing seemed to stump the volunteers.

The centre also has an excellent local handicraft shop. There are examples of work by an array of local artists and craftspeople at what I thought were very attractive prices. The shop is manned by volunteers so overheads are low. We bought a few pieces as a reminder of our visit.

We strongly suggest a visit to this centre as the first port of call in Charters Towers. Bookings can be made for the city tour and other activities while you are there.