Heavenly Beverley : Welcome to "The World".

Charters Towers was our next destination. The more we had researched this fascinating town, the more excited we had become. The combination of her gold mining heritage, her "One Square Mile" of well preserved buildings, the Venus gold battery, Miners' Cottage and the Zara Clark Museum filled us with anticipation of a marvellous stopover.

First of all, we had to find somewhere to stay.

Charters was packed, not only with tourists, but also delegates for a Local Government conference and the weekly cattle sales. We had no choice to stay in two Federation establishments. We were getting a trifle desperate. It appeared that there may be no room at the Inn.

Eventually, after several anxious phone calls, we secured a cabin at Dalrymple Tourist Van Park. Little did we realise at that stage that we had hit the jackpot.

The drive from Emerald to Charters Towers was longer than our previous hops between towns. After Capella and Clermont, there were no other settlements of any size until we arrived in Charters Towers. Belyando Crossing - population of five - was only useful for a wee break. The countryside was still wooded in parts, but the drive reminded us of one of those long straight passages we had experienced so often in Western Australia. During this trip, we had become used to frequently occurring towns to break the monotony of distance.

Charters Towers was an oasis after a long day. Actually, the city is only an hour and a half's travel from Townsville, so isolation is not an issue. However, why would anybody want to leave Charters Towers? Back in the booming gold era, Charters Towers became known as "The World", simply because all could be provided in this bustling centre.

After gold was discovered in 1871/72, Charters Towers grew exponentially. The stock exchange ran for forty years. Naturally, banks flocked to the region. The Venus gold processing mill had been staked over the city's only local water supply, so the owners were soon extremely wealthy. And in the midst of all this prosperity, critical lack of water led to disease and death. Charters Towers' water supply now comes from the Burdekin River, the second most important river system in Australia after the Murray River catchment. However, drought is still an issue and water restrictions are not uncommon.

Having said that, Charters Towers has beautiful parks. Gold mining in the area has re-emerged, and cattle and education (providing boarding schools for remote families)are other important industries. Along with tourism, "The World" appears to be a bustling, thriving town destined for ongoing greatness.

Dalrymple Tourist Van Park has turned out to be an absolute paradise. Our Pool Cabin is clean and neat, with an exceedingly comfortable bed and CRISP WHITE sheets. That was a huge surprise, along with a seniors' discount (Michael was looking a tad worse for wear) and meals provided in the Campers Kitchen by the amazing Tanya and her team. Last night, fifty park residents enjoyed a delicious lamb shank with all the trimmings, followed by an outstanding sticky date pudding. We sat with a group of fellow travellers we had met up on Towers Hill. Tonight will be fish and chips. Apart from that, home made date slice is given out on registration and the grounds are just beautiful. Did I mention the crisp white sheets?

Venus gold battery has to be the highlight of our stay. Guide John was a walking encyclopaedia of information, delivered in his unique North Queensland style. With a booming voice, he was often side tracked by our questions but always returned to the topic at hand. Genial, entertaining and knowledgable (he had actually operated the battery), this was an excursion not to be missed. Obviously a man about town, he popped up later at the Antique Shop and the Miners' Cottage.

Today is our last day in Charters Towers. Zara Clark Museum is on the agenda along with visiting the city's parks. A quieter day before we leave for the unknown. We had hoped to stay at Undara Lava tubes for the weekend but they are booked out. Instead, we will head straight for the Atherton before rocking into Cairns on Monday.

In the meantime, we will once again experience the joys that "The World" has to offer. Do yourselves a favour - add Charters Towers to your must-see destinations.

Charters Towers' Pioneer Cemetery - not a happy place, but some of the wrought iron work took our breath away -