Charters Towers, Australia

Charters Towers is a city and Local Government Area in northern Queensland, Australia. It is located 135 kilometres south-west from Townsville on the Flinders Highway.

The town was founded in the 1870s when gold was found in the area, and rapidly grew to become a regional centre. In the boom years, between 1872 and 1899, Charters Towers operated the only Stock Exchange outside of a capital city. During this period, the population was approximately 27,000, making Charters Towers Queensland's largest city outside of Brisbane. The City was also affectionately known as 'The World', as it was said that anything one might desire could be had in the 'Towers', leaving no reason to travel elsewhere.

However, most of the mines have now closed, and, although several new ones are currently operating, the population has sunk to about 10,000. The city is completely surrounded by the rural shire of Dalrymple which has its offices and works depots within Charters Towers. Many of the older buildings of the mining boom remain, giving a distinct character to a town which appears out of place in a dry arid region. Although quite a few still exist in Charters Towers, many of the distinctive miner's cottages were dismantled after the boom times and relocated to Townsville and other places, where large numbers of these galvanised iron dwellings are still in use.

Charters Towers is now a centre for the beef industry and is particularly known for the number of boarding schools which cater for remote rural families. It obtains its water supply from the nearby Burdekin River.