Qld 09 - Week 5

Day 29 - Richmond -> Charters Towers

Charters Towers is another old mining town. Gold was discovered in 1871 and this provided such a boost to the economy that Charters Towers was, for a while, the second largest city in Qld. The legacy that remains is of wide streets and beautiful old 19th century buildings.

Day 30 - Charters Towers

One of the most well known is the Stock Exchange Arcade. For a period of time in the late 19th century, the world price of gold was set from this building.

In the Arcade, there is a re-enactment of the 'Calling of the Card'; it would seem that today's greed in the stock market is not a recent event...

Across the road is a beautiful mural depicting life in the region.

The city lies at the base of Towers Hill which is still riddled with open shafts - the remains of some of the original gold mines.

Day 31 - Charters Towers -> Boulder Creek Rest Area

As we were now in 'getting home' rather than 'tourist' mode, few photos were taken. This little rest area was about 20kms south-west of the Bruce Highway near Mackay. We nearly gave up trying to find it as Charlotte (our GPS) kept trying to take us through peoples' back yards and up dead-end farm tracks. We subsequently found out that her map didn't have a connecting road we needed. In the end I did something no mere male will ever admit to - I asked someone how to get there. :-(

The only thing that sticks in our mind about this place is the @#**$% person who insisted on ruining the peaceful evening setting by running their very noisy generator right outside our van so they could watch TV in theirs.

Day 32 - Boulder Creek Rest Area -> Caliope River Rest Area

Another big day, and another unmarked turnoff. (One part of the rest area is marked, but is close to the highway - the other part is on the other side of the river but you need to go 5 kms further down the highway to find the unmarked turnoff) This one had a happier ending and we found a delightful place for our last night away.

In the shade of a tree and with river views - what more could you ask for?

As pointed out in Lesson #1 way back at the beginning of the trip, you need to get there early to get a prime spot.

Day 33 - Caliope River Rest Area -> HOME!

Back home safe and sound and now planning the next trip (after we clean the van, 4WD, our clothes, 'selves, etc!).

Hope you've enjoyed our trip as much as we did.

Chris & Sue