2026 Houses
A little background on the houses for 2026
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School of Mines
By 1899 Charters Towers still lacked higher education despite its major goldfield, prompting the Mine and Mill Managers Association to establish a Mining School. Architect Joseph Maurice Lloyd designed the Mining Institute beside the Court House, where E.D. Miles laid the memorial stone and hoped it would grow into a full School of Mines. A time‑capsule placed in the pillar during construction has only recently been recovered.
The School quickly proved its worth, producing strong examination results and graduates who entered well‑paid mining roles. Many later served in World War I with the Australian Tunnelling Companies, including Captain Oliver Woodward—trained in Charters Towers—who led the famed Hill 60 operation in 1917.
My Haven
My Haven may be small, but its history is rich. The first known occupiers were James Williams in 1885 and William McKeague soon after. By 1888 the Harry family owned the house, running it as Harry’s Boarding House. Samuel Harry Senior, a miner, died in 1897 from miner’s phthisis, leaving his wife Anne and their children. Anne’s brother, Joseph Porritt, bought the house in 1899 and continued supporting the family.
Sam Harry grew into a capable young man, attending Central State Boys School before working for Sydney Thorpe and later E.D. Miles & Co. In 1909, at just 27, he became Charters Towers’ youngest Town Clerk. A keen cricketer and officer in the Kennedy Infantry Regiment, he enlisted at the outbreak of World War I with his close friends Major Hugh Quinn and Captain John Walsh. All three died at Gallipoli in 1915, and Sam was remembered as one of the town’s most promising young citizens.
AyOt Lookout
AyOt, the two‑storey villa built by Thomas Smith in 1896, has long been a Charters Towers landmark. Designed by architect Henry Hubbard and supervised by William White, the house quickly gained a reputation for mystery. Smith borrowed £2,000 during construction, and rumours suggested he may have used gold from the mill where he worked. He died by suicide soon after, adding to the legend surrounding the home.
AyOt was one of the town’s finest residences, with its cedar staircase, brick fireplaces, coloured glass, tiled entry and iron lacework. The house passed to businessman Herbert Foxlee, whose family believed he won it from Smith in a card game. Foxlee named it after his childhood farm in Hertfordshire and opened a large Gill Street store that sold almost everything, with the family name still visible in the footpath.