Charters Towers Regional Council
About the profile areas
The 2023 Estimated Resident Population for Charters Towers Regional Council is 12,013, with a population density of 0.18 persons per square km.
Location and boundaries
The Charters Towers Regional Council area is located in North Queensland, about 480 kilometres south of the Cairns CBD and 1,300 kilometres north of the Brisbane CBD. The Charters Towers Regional Council area is bounded by the Tablelands Regional Council area in the north, Hinchinbrook Shire, Townsville City, Burdekin Shire and the Whitsunday Regional Council area in the east, the Isaac Regional Council area and the Barcaldine Regional Council area in the south, and Flinders Shire and Etheridge Shire in the west.
Traditional Owners
The original inhabitants of the Charter Towers Regional Council area were the Gudjal Aboriginal people.
Name origin
The Charter Towers Regional Council is named after the first gold find in the area, which was named after William Skelton Ewbank Melbourne Charters, the Gold Commissioner at the time, with the word “towers” referring to the conical shaped hills in the vicinity of the gold discovery.
Important
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Population12,013 2023 ABS ERP |
Land area68,580 square km |
Population density0.18 persons per square km |
Settlement history
European settlement dates from 1861, with land used mainly for sheep and cattle grazing, with some timber production. Population was minimal until gold discoveries were made in late 1871. Rapid growth took place until 1899, when the population peaked at 25,000-30,000 people. Growth was spurred largely by mining and improved access to the area. The population declined significantly from the early 1900s, largely due to a downturn in gold mining. The population fluctuated between the 1930s and the 1970s, between 9,000 and 10,000 people, and then increased slightly during the 1980s. The population was relatively stable from the 1990s, between about 12,000 and 13,000 people.
Land use
The Charter Towers Regional Council area is largely rural, with a township at Charters Towers, and small communities at Greenvale, Hervey Range, Homestead, Pentland and Ravenswood. Rural land is used largely for agricultural purposes, particularly beef farming. Mining is an important industry. The Council area encompasses a total land area of 68,580 square kilometres.
Transport
The Charter Towers Regional Council area is served by the Flinders Highway, Gregory Developmental Road and Charters Towers Airport.
Major features
- Major features of the Charter Towers Regional Council area include Blackwood National Park,
- Dalrymple National Park,
- Great Basalt Wall National Park,
- Paluma Range National Park,
- White Mountains National Park,
- Burdekin Falls Dam (Lake Dalrymple),
- White Blow Conservation Park,
- Mount Zero - Taravale Sanctuary,
- TAFE Queensland North (Charters Towers Campus),
- Burdekin Weir Park,
- Centenary Park,
- Charters Towers Showgrounds,
- Towers Hill Lookout and Ampitheatre,
- Venus Gold Battery,
- Columbia Poppet Head,
- Don Roderick Assay Room Gallery Group,
- Zara Clark Museum,
- The Miner’s Cottage,
- Texas Longhorn Wagon Tours & Safaris,
- Charters Towers Golf Club,
- World Theatre,
- Spyglass Research Facility and Townsville Field Training Area.
Included areas
- The Charters Towers Regional Council area includes the localities of Alabama Hill,
- Basalt,
- Black Jack,
- Breddan,
- Broughton,
- Campaspe,
- Charters Towers City,
- Columbia,
- Dotswood,
- Grand Secret,
- Greenvale,
- Hervey Range,
- Homestead,
- Llanarth,
- Millchester,
- Mingela,
- Mosman Park,
- Paluma,
- Pentland,
- Queenton,
- Ravenswood,
- Reid River,
- Richmond Hill,
- Seventy Mile,
- Southern Cross,
- Toll,
- Towers Hill and Valley Of Lagoons.