Timber Treasures

When the Charters Towers goldfield was discovered 150 years ago the wheels were set in motion for the birth of a vibrant and bustling community.

The gold discovery drew thousands to the area - miners, merchants, government officials, entrepreneurs, their families and more.

For many of those settlers, Charters Towers became more than a place to simply build their fortunes.  They lay down roots, invested in the community and built homes.  Some of those homes remain on the goldfield to this day, lovingly restored and renovated over the generations by dozens of families who have gone on to create their own memories within.

As you make your way through the streets of Charters Towers you will see homes built in the 19th, 20th and 21st century nestled beside one another.  During the 1920s and 1930s many homes were moved to towns across North Queensland, with many shifted to Townsville.  Fortunately a lot of the timber workers cottages and Queenslanders were left where they were first erected, to be lived in and loved over the decades.

Four room cottages with wide open verandahs and low pitched roofs dot the local landscape.  The introduction of indoor plumbing saw bathroom additions, often at the rear of the home, which were easily accommodated on the large house blocks.  Kitchens featured a recess where a wood stove once stood, replaced with electric ovens.

Built on stumps, some high, some low, the houses were cool in the hot summers. The corrugated iron roofs also had a special feature, a vent that was both decorative and practical.

Tongue and groove timber lined the walls, casement windows featuring coloured glass and polished timber floors needed no carpets.

Indeed, if the old walls of those family homes could talk, just think of the stories they would tell.