The best-laid plans....

We didn't go to Ravenswood after all (though John and Margaret did).  We'd run into rain on the road to the west, which was coming down harder and harder the further we went. John commented that the showground, our destination, was likely to be boggy, and when Chris and I thought about this, we decided it would be better to head for Charters Towers, where there were proper caravan parks, and if it did keep raining, at least we could go to a museum or something instead of sitting in the van all day.  John and Marg thought they'd rather stay in the van all day, so they elected to turn down to Ravenswood where we'll catch up with them later.


On the way to Charters Towers we crossed the wide Burdekin River (which we'd crossed near the mouth, at Home Hill earlier in the day).  You climb a steep hill from the bridge, and the flood signs climb with you- the last one measure 7 metres above the bridge!  They must get a lot of water through there.


We continued on to Charters Towers and, having booked into a caravan park in the rain, drove up to the lookout which is a big hill called Tower Hill.  Once there, we could see for quite a distance despite the rain.  The landscape is mostly flat, but with many conical extuberances- it reminds me of a case of acne with pimples popping out all around.  It was late afternoon, and we were delighted to see 5 or 6 rock wallabies, very shy but we could approach as long as we were quiet.  The arrival of a carload of excited little kids put a stop to that!

                        Rock wallaby- look at her long tail!


The town is delightful, with many wide, bullock wagon U turn streets, and many trees. The main street has been preserved with its historical facades, even McDonalds have been required to keep the old look, which results in a homogenous look.  Some of the buildings would be able to hold up their heads (roofs?) anywhere, particularly the Stock exchange building and the Post Office.  

                                            Town Hall

                         Stock Exchange Arcade interior

                            Post Office  building


To attest to the rain they get around here, take a look at the gutters!  The only others I've seen to equal these were in Singapore, where we know they get a lot of rain.

                  Street gutter- they're expecting a lot of rain!


There are a number of lovely parks in the area.


This was a thriving gold town at the time of Federation, boasting 65 hotels, among other things.  There are still quite a few pubs, this being thirsty country, but many of the old ones have become residential properties.  There are still gold mines operating in the area,  open cuts instead of underground mines these days.  


This morning the rain had stopped and the sun actually came out by lunchtime, so we returned to Tower Hill to really appreciate the scenery.  You can literally see for miles.  Several open cut mines are visible in the distance, as well as distant mountains.  The wallabies were snoozing but we did spy a couple, and as we were leaving we saw a big old man wallaby on the road. 


We visited the Venus Battery, one of the many places where miners could have their rocks broken down and the gold extracted.   It was quite interesting- the process is incredibly complicated. Not a matter of picking up a nugget and turning it into an ingot!  




If the weather stays clear, we'll head for Ravenswood tomorrow, as we feel we've "done" Charters Towers.  Nice town, not much to do. We even stopped in at the horse sales which were going on (with a big crowd, and many horse trailers in evidence)- long enough to hear one brood mare going for $2,500.  No idea if that's a good price or not.