About Charters Towers

Charters Towers is a scenic town located just 135km south-west of Townsville. It boasts a population of 9,000 approximately and services the beef and gold industries of the region.

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View of Charters Towers – Photo courtesy of Charters Towers Regional Council

City Hall

City Hall – Photo courtesy of Charters Towers Regional Council

Charters Towers, the town they call ‘The World’ was born to the sound of thunder and flashes of lightening.Hugh Mosman, George Clarke, John Fraser and horseboy Jupiter had been prospecting away to the south of what is now Charters Towers when their horses scattered during a fierce thunderstorm. It was while searching for the horses next morning that the first Towers gold was discovered. The discovery point was just near the modern day intersection of Mosman Street, Rainbow Road and Black Jack Road and was at the end of the year 1871 or the very beginning of 1872.The party returned to Ravenswood to register their find which they named Charters Towers.

Beginning from a chance discovery of gold in 1871, Charters Towers burst into life as a bustling metropolis which, in its heyday was a very prosperous city in Queensland. 140 years on, Charters Towers is a significant support centre for the booming mining and agricultural sectors. It boasts diverse retail, manufacturing and transport services all within easy access of well established cultural, health, educational, sporting and recreational facilities.

For the cattleman, Charters Towers weekly sales at the liveweight selling centre services the requirements for Store, Slaughter, Stud stock sales and is a major Live Export depot for ships loading ex Townsville port. These services, combined with the large JBS Meatworks located in Townsville, now position Charters Towers as the cattle marketing hub of North Queensland.

Nearby Townsville, 135 km to the north east, is one of Australia’s largest and fastest growing regional cities. With a population of 200,000 and a comprehensive array of large & diverse industry, Townsville’s seaside location is a major positive for business, employment and lifestyle needs.