Ravenswood

Tuesday, 22 October 2024

This morning we pulled out off the motel car park about 8.00am heading for historic Ravenswood, North Queensland’s oldest surviving inland town and another living tribute to the region’s gold mining history.

About 20 kilometres out of Charters Towers we crossed the Macrossan Bridge over the mighty Burdekin River. The Burdekin River was named by Ludwig Leichhardt in 1845 in honour of Thomas Burdekin, one of the sponsors of Leichhardt’s expedition. The river drains an area of approximately 130,000 square kilometres and is Australia’s largest river by (peak) discharge volume. That would probably be when it is lapping at the 5-metre markers on the highway and the river is in full flood!

We definitely saw a wedge-tailed eagle taking off from a carcass this morning just after we had turned off the Flinders Highway onto the Burdekin Falls Dam Road. As it launched itself from the road kill that it was feasting on we got a really good look at its distinctive wedge-shaped tail. When a wedge-tailed eagle feasts on road kill it feasts alone. It’s not like the kites and crows that are happy to share!

In just under an hour we rolled into Ravenswood. We parked on Macrossan Street opposite the Court House Museum. We parked in the sun because Bernie wanted to lay the solar blanket out on the roof rack to try – again – to get some charge into the fridge battery. I keep asking if it’s the battery that’s the problem? I mean different power sources have been tried BUT the battery is not charging properly. Bernie remains optimistic than when we arrive home and he charges/re-sets it on the mains power charger that all will be well. We shall see?!

We explored Ravenswood on foot meandering past the Post Office Store and then over Elphinstone Creek to Browne’s Steps – all that remains of the 50-room first class hotel that was once described as the ‘Pride of the North’. Also on Macrossan Street were the Thorps Building, Imperial Hotel, Pie Shop and School of Arts Hall that will be hosting a Halloween Ball next weekend.

We returned to the Court House and turned up Raven Street to take a look at A.L.Wilson’s House, but it turned out to be the ‘site of’ what was once Ravenhood’s most impressive property belonging to the manager of the New Ravenswood Company between 1899 and 1917. All that remains is the chimney. Returning to Macrossan Street we turned down Elphinstone Street to wander past the Wooden Windmill, Railway Hotel, the Mullock Heap, Assay Office, Railway Carriage and the chimney at Mabel Mill.

As we wandered around we were looking for the sculptures that form part of the town’s Art Trail Installations and the Character Sculptures which were quirky painted characters from Ravenswood’s past with cut out faces that we were able to pose in for some silly photos!

Returning to the vehicles we drove to a few of the sites that are further afield. First to the White Blow Environmental Park four kilometres from Ravenswood along Ayr Road. This was a huge outcrop of white quartz that is some 300 million years old! It was so much bigger than we had been expecting. The park is surrounded by a goat farm. While we were exploring the outcrop we heard a dog barking and could then see it racing down the hill opposite barking, barking, barking. It was the Maremma Sheepdog protecting the herd by warning us that we would not be welcome on the other side of the fence.

We drove back into town hoping to go to the Sarsfield Pit Lookout to see the open pit mine on our way. Gold extraction resumed in Ravenswood in 2020 and is anticipated to continue until 2033. The mine is currently the largest gold mine in Queensland. Unfortunately the gate was locked and a sign advised that the lookout is closed while development work is competed at which time an All Access Lookout will be built. The Arch Bridge was located nearby and it was … so much smaller than we thought it would be, ha, ha. The bridge is the only known example of an early brick-arch road bridge. It sounded impressive in the Heritage guide that we had with us but it looked rather more like a drain.

We continued along Chapel Street stopping at the Community Church which was formerly St Patrick’s Catholic Church but now provides the community with a non-denominational service on the first Sunday of each month. It rather weirdly has an impressive gate in front of the church but no fence around the plot of land. Our final stop in town was at the Stockham House and Butler’s Cottage situated opposite each other on Railway Street. Our next stop was four kilometres south of town at the Ravenswood Cemetery. The walls of the open cut mine are almost encroaching on the old cemetery leading us to wonder whether there is gold underneath it?? If the gold extends underneath the cemetery will it survive much long or will the mine take precedence over history?

We returned to Charters Towers with one stop at an installation of minions by the roadside. Kerry is quite a fan of the minions so we took a snap and sent it to her to say it made us think of her. We made one other stop at Macrossan Park on the eastern side of the Burdekin River so that we could take a couple of pics of the river reduced at the moment to a narrow trickle of water at the end of the dry season.

Back in town around quarter past twelve we raced into the World Theatre as it is only open between 10.00am and 1.00pm daily. Last night we heard the story of the manager of the Pyrites Works who was so upset when his pay was cut that he shot the chairman of the board at the table displayed in an upstairs room at the theatre. The stain on it is allegedly a blood stain. Tcht, when we got upstairs we found the table covered with a table protector. Determined to see the scene of the crime we peeled back the covering to see the table’s surface. What ghouls?! Leaving the building the attendant confessed that there are many older locals who question whether the stain is really a blood stain and some who even question if the table is ‘the table’. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story, eh?

At 1.00pm Bernie and I headed to the Commercial Hotel to meet my cousin, Glen, for lunch. When I knew we would be passing through Charters Towers I contacted my cousin to let him know that we would be in town if he would like to catch up for a drink or a meal. Because Glen has lived in Queensland for many years we have not seen much of each other over our lifetimes. We exchange Christmas greetings by card/text and talk very occasionally on the phone. We worked out it would be at least 12 years ago that Glen visited me when he was down in Victoria and before that we couldn’t even work it out! He said he could remember how close our parents (my father, his mum) were before his mum moved to Queensland but with distance and age differences it has made it hard for the next generation to stay connected.

After lunch we popped out to the new Poppet Head Plaza to view the amazing Wall of History mosaic mural on the side of the building. The series of eight panels is made up of over five million hand-cut tiles and stretches five metres in height and 80 metres in length. The series of vignettes celebrate the history of Charters Towers between 1872 and 1922. Charters Towers is nicknamed ‘The World’ because in its early days its population was a melting pot of people from all over the world. The final panel acknowledges the many nationalities that contributed the development of Charters Towers. It is an astonishing work of art conceived by Paul McIver (owner of Goldtower Central) and realised in collaboration with award-winning fine artist Trisha Lambi and Tania Ault of Dillinga’s Dreaming and representative of the Gudjala people of Charters Towers.

After some time in the pool again this afternoon we returned to the Commercial Hotel for dinner. Hey, we really enjoyed the salt and pepper calamari we had for lunch so decided to take Cathy and Steve back there for dinner. When you’re on a good thing …

It has been handy to have great internet here in Charters Towers as it has enabled us to bring our travel blog up-to-date for those who have been following our adventures. Our internet connections were so good for so long as we travelled north that I think we’d reached the stage where we thought we were going to be able to stay connected for the whole trip. Unfortunately not the case in Cobbold Gorge and Mount Surprise and we have a feeling that we are going to be off the air again when we are in Carnavan Gorge.