Top Things to do in Charters Towers
Top Restaurants in Charters Towers
Top 10 Things to do in Charters Towers, Queensland
Discover the best top things to do in Charters Towers, Australia including Texas Longhorn Tours, Leahton Park, Tors Drive-in Cinema, Mike Carney Gallery, Historic Ambulance Museum, Venus Battery, Stock Exchange Arcade, Irish Molly's Charters Towers, St Patrick's Hotel, The Miner's Cottage.
Restaurants in Charters Towers
1. Texas Longhorn Tours
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 83 reviews
Texas Longhorn Wagon Tour & Safaris situated at Leahton Park, is just 10km from the famous gold city of Charters Towers or 140km south west of Townsville,Queensland, Australia. Leahton Park is home to Horseshoe B Longhorns - the largest herd of purebred Texas Longhorn cattle in Australia and JR - the Guinness World Record horned steer whose horns measure more than 9 feet three inches or 2.82 metres from tip to tip!Take a horse drawn wagon ride and a trip back in time - back to the old west, to the era of the legendary Texas Longhorns! These historical cattle are direct descendants of the millions of Texas Longhorns that walked in the great trail herds from Texas in the late 1800's. Enjoy camp oven cooked damper and billy tea served from the genuine cowboy chuck wagon before taking an informative tour of the Bethel Saddlery custom saddle shop. Learn some of the history of this iconic and magnificent breed of cattle whilst enjoying the yarns with your hosts and fellow travelers.
2. Leahton Park
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 32 reviews
Leahton Park is a beautifully presented 1100 acre property situated 10km by sealed road from Charters Towers. It is home to the following: Leahton Park Country Cabins - comfortable bed and breakfast accommodation. Texas Longhorn Wagon Tours & Safaris - horse drawn wagon rides viewing the largest herd of purebred Texas Longhorn cattle in Australia and also JR, the Guinness World Record horned steer. Bethel Saddlery - hand crafted saddles and tack.
Reviewed By johnsS512AF - Koondrook, Australia
If you only have time to see one attraction in Charters Towers, do this tour. We just fluked it that we were to visit them on a Wednesday when they do their wagon tour. The owner is an Aussie but he seems to know more about the history of these cattle than the Texans do. The cattle here are direct descendants of the millions of Texas Longhorns that walked the great trail herds from Texas in the late 1800’s, and this is the home of the largest herd of these cattle in Australia. The tour of the farm was magnificent with Mick telling many a story along the way, some may have been true and others were definitely not. We started with smoko served from their authentic Chuck Wagon, consisting of billy tea and damper, backed up with Anzac biscuits and homemade Chocolate Texas Brownies. As there are no unrelated Texas Longhorn bulls in Australia, Mick’s wife Lynda went to vet school to learn how to artificially inseminate their cows. She showed us through their “Love Shack” and gave us a detailed description on how the process is done. They produce about 30 calves a year. The farm also has Asian Water Buffalo, American Bison, Scottish Highlanders and African Watusi. The highlight of the tour is the ride on their covered wagon, drawn by 2 Percheron draft horses which takes you down amongst the cattle. The pride of their herd is a steer called JR who made it into the 2013 Guiness Book of World Records for having the longest horns measured tip to tip of all cattle in the world. His horns are still growing and now measure more than 3 metres from tip to tip.
3. Tors Drive-in Cinema
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 23 reviews
Reviewed By jennytalbot - Charters Towers, Australia
If you haven't already been to the Tors Drive-in, you best put it on the bucket list without further ado! Charters Towers is just 1 hour and a bit drive from the city of Townsville, and is home to the fabulous Tors Drive-in Cinema. The cinema has kept the old time feel, and one would be forgiven for thinking they have stepped back in time once you pass through the ticket box! A fantastic evening out for the family, where you can see 2 movies for under $10 per head (cheaper for kids), and feed the family with burger and snack prices that have seen very little price rise in decades. Take a chair, take a mattress, sit in the car or at the kiosk, it is a wonderful, carefree atmosphere at the Tors where you can watch a movie, or gaze at the stars. You can even take you fur kids (if they can behave themselves). If you choose to make a weekend of it, Charters Towers has a wide range of accommodation to cater to all budgets and needs. I would rate the Tors #1 thing to do in Charters Towers!
4. Mike Carney Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
The Mike Carney Gallery is an exciting walk through historical photography of the Charters Towers region. It also boasts a wonderful collection of Indigenous Art and artifacts from around Australia. The gallery also has a gift shop and information service of local and regional attractions.
5. Historic Ambulance Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 3 reviews
6. Venus Battery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 100 reviews
Located on the outskirts of Charters Towers, the Venus Gold Battery offers an insight into the incredible Australian gold rush of the late nineteenth century.
Reviewed By 362johnl362 - Frankfurt, Germany
Our guide was very knowledgeable and have is a great tour of the battery and surrounds. Well worth doing. Value for money
7. Stock Exchange Arcade
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 109 reviews
Built to a design by Mark Cooper Day as the Royal Arcade, the Charters Towers Stock Exchange operated here from 1890 until 1916. The building houses many local Charters Towers businesses and the National Trust of Queensland Don Roderick Art Gallery. A rare example of an arcade in Queensland, one with architecture adapted to climate and well-liked for its scale and barrel-vault entrance, the Stock Exchange Arcade is indicative of the rise and fall of fortune on the nineteenth century goldfield.
Reviewed By Geddes_7
A visit to Charters Towers and such landmarks as the Stock Exchange Arcade will be rewarded. The Arcade is rich in history and the story of the town and its Stock Exchange is well told. A walk through the streets of Charters Towers is a walk through history. The town is relatively well preserved. Overall, I wished I had allocated more time to visit.
8. Irish Molly's Charters Towers
9. St Patrick's Hotel
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
Old Hotel with Tropical Beer garden. Great meals 7 days .
10. The Miner's Cottage
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 128 reviews
The old Miner's Cottage in Charters Towers is not your usual museum! Owned and operated by a retired prospector, Alan Silverwood, the little timber workers cottage houses Alan's extensive collection of Australiana, Antiques, Collectables, Curios and a whole lot more.... Visitors can browse the collection or try their hand at gold panning in the "tailings". Full tuition is available and this activity is very popular. Every year, hundreds of school-age children visit the cottage to learn about the golden history of the town. Located near the centre of Charters Towers, the cottage is within walking of the Post Office. The Miner's Cottage is open for bookings and personalised guided tours 7 days a week. Just call the owner to make a booking. School groups and bus tour groups are specially catered for, over 1000 schoolchildren visit the cottage to learn about the fascinating history of Charters Towers. The gold panning is very popular! Real GOLD can be found in the tailings...
Reviewed By mickb1958 - Charters Towers, Australia
A great little shack of Victorian era memorabilia and demonstrations of gold panning from a colourful local character. Alan is full of entertaining stories of both the past and present. Should be coupled with a visit to the Zara Clark Museum and another must see is the Venus Battery.
