Charters Towers is a rural town in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It is by road south-west from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the town boomed as the rich gold deposits under the city were developed. After becoming uneconomical in the 20th century, profitable mining operations have commenced once again. In the , Charters Towers had a population of 8,120 people. Geography and climate The urban area of the town of Charters Towers includes its suburbs: Charters Towers City (the centre of the city); Richmond Hill, Toll, and Columbia to the north, Queenton to the east, Grand Secret and Alabama Hill to the west, and Towers Hill, Mosman Park, and Millchester to the south. Charters Towers township is only mildly elevated at above sea-level, but this has a noticeable effect, with lower humidity and wider temperature variations compared to nearby Townsville. Charters Towers obtains its water supply from the nearby Burdekin River. Charters Towers has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSh), with two distinct seasons. The short wet season from mid-November to March is hot and moderately rainy, while the long dry season from April to mid-November is warm and dry, with lower humidity. History The town was founded in the 1870s when gold was discovered by chance at Towers Hill on Christmas Eve 1871 by 12-year-old Aboriginal boy, Jupiter Mosman. Jupiter was with a small group of prospectors including Hugh Mosman, James Fraser, and George Clarke. Their horses bolted after a flash of lightning. While he was searching, Jupiter found both the horses and a nugget of gold in a creek at the base of Towers Hill. Charters originated from the Gold Commissioner, WSEM Charters. Ten major gold reefs were eventually mined. Such were the boom years, between 1872 and 1899, that Charters Towers hosted its own stock exchange. The Great Northern Railway between Charters Towers and the coastal port of Townsville was completed in December 1882. During this period, the population was about 30,000, making Charters Towers Queensland's largest city outside of Brisbane. The city was also affectionately known as "The World", as anything one might desire reportedly could be had in the Towers, leaving no reason to travel elsewhere. The Borough of Charters Towers was proclaimed on 21 June 1877 under the Municipal Institutions Act 1864 with John McDonald being elected the town's first mayor. The