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North Coast Hinterland

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North Coast Hinterland backs the pretty north coastline, and is a major gold producing area. Heading west from Townsville along the Flinders Highway you will pass through several gold mining and agricultural towns on route to Cloncurry and Mt Isa.

Once you reach Mingela, you can head south to the small ghost town of Ravenswood. There are still many historical buildings standing from the gold rush days.

Continuing along the highway, you will come to Charters Towers which still maintains many of its fine buildings from its earlier gold rush. At its peak Charters Towers had about 100 mines and was home to a population of around 30,000, aptly giving it its name of 'The World'. The town is still very active, with mining and cattle being its main industries.

Mosman Street was the main street in the early town days, and features many magnificent buildings. Several worth visiting include the ABC Bank Building, Assay Room and Mining Museum, Ay Ot Lookout, Frederick Pfeiffer's House, Stock Exchange Arcade and the Zara Clark Museum. If you would like to find out more about the gold mining in the area then you can visit the Venus Battery which offers guided tours.

Charters Towers also hosts two popular events. In January is the Goldfield Ashes (a cricket event), at Easter is a large Rodeo, and in May is a Country Music Festival. Although accommodation is generally easy to find, it is best to book in advance if you are planning to visit during one of these events. Once there however, there are plenty of places to eat out with many of the pubs serving food.

If you want to head out to the North Coast Hinterland, Greyhound Pioneer run a service from Townsville to Mt Isa. There is also a train which runs twice weekly from Townsville.

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