Chapter 32: Continuing The Odyssey

Tuesday Week 12

After a night spent tossing and turning, but at least having had sufficient sleep, he prepared his breakfast then got ready for the road.

He had morning tea at a rest stop overlooking Hinchinbrook Island, and then continued onto Townsville for lunch. As he'd not long ago been here, as soon as he had eaten, he set off for the last leg of the day's drive and pulled into the caravan park in Charters Towers just before 3:30 pm.

After he had settled in, he got some steak out of the freezer for dinner. He was planning to stay three nights here, so Dave unloaded the 4WD and went around to the Visitor Information Centre, where he was able to get lots of information about Charters Towers or CT as it seemed to be known locally.

Apparently, according to the information brochures he had been given, the gold boom between 1872 and 1899 brought people, activity and prosperity to CT and the population grew to 27,000; the second largest city in Queensland at that time.

He spent almost an hour viewing the orientation film, then doing the virtual tour by touch screen, before wandering in the adjacent Stock Exchange Arcade, where the Charters Towers stock exchange had been housed from 1890.

Dave learned how the stock exchange had been hooked into the world by telegraph with three calls a day, six days a week. He listened to the 'calling of the card' and saw the ghostly reminders of Charters Towers golden days. The building itself had been restored and was a fascinating start to his time in Charters Towers.

As he ate the steak and veggies he had cooked for himself, washed down with the rest of the bottle of red wine from the previous night, he planned tomorrow's activities, before watching a little TV then turning in for an early night.

Wednesday Week 12

Dave's first activity after his leisurely breakfast was the 10 am tour of the Venus Gold Battery, which provided crushing facilities for small miners long after other mills had closed down. He discovered that it was the largest surviving battery relic in Australia and it gave him a comprehensive insight to how the gold rush of the late 19th century operated. Once again, clever use of 'ghosts' provided information on the past, using diorama techniques and fascinating use of picture projection through a screen of falling water to create the 'ghostly' images.

When the tour was over, Dave drove back to the RV for lunch, calling in to look at the Pioneer Cemetery on the way. He spent a few minutes wandering amongst the graves of those buried from 1872 to 1895, whose tombstones depicted the hardships the pioneers faced in those days.

After lunch, he drove around the One Square Mile, looking at the elegance and grandeur of the magnificent buildings from the gold rush era. Dave parked his car back near the information centre and, using the Heritage Walk Map he had got the previous day, spent the rest of the afternoon meandering past and into many of the buildings.

First, he explored the cultural complex called the World Theatre, where he noticed the unique blend of heritage architecture combined with state of the art technology. Originally the Australian Bank of Commerce, it was now a 600 seat performing arts theatre and cinema.

Across the road he saw one of the many city murals he had been told about. This one was supposed to be the largest of these local works of art and he thought it was not only well done, but also quite interesting.

Next he wandered down about a block to the City Hall, spending some time perusing the photographic display of the towns' heroes.

A few doors further on, he went into the Charters Towers Museum and looked at the large collection of photographs, equipment and memorabilia depicting the towns golden past. The emphasis on most things seemed to stem from the gold era, but he was fascinated by the demonstration of the Lampson Aerial Cash System that had come out of one of the local buildings. The system enabled a docket and cash or the record of an account entry to be placed in a tube that was sent along the Lampson tubes to the office. After processing, the tube was returned with the change and any paperwork. Apparently it replaced a number of young boys who used to scurry to the office and then bring back the change. Of course, this was all before the advent of cash registers at the point of sale.

Dave walked a few blocks further on until he came to Lissner Park, an area of some seven hectares, which featured a number of interesting structures. There was the Boer War Kiosk, the Band Rotunda, World War 1 guns, the Centenary of Federation fountains, the duck pond and a couple of memorials. He really enjoyed walking around the lawns and gardens as it was such as lovely day.

He continued his walk until he came to the Civic Club, originally a gentleman's club, where he enjoyed a leisurely beer while he looked around this amazing historic building.