Bank of New South Wales, Charters Towers, Heritage bank building in Charters Towers, Australia.
The Bank of New South Wales is a two-storey masonry building at 34–36 Gill Street, designed by Eyre & Munro and built by Kelleher in 1889. It replaced earlier timber bank buildings and has several additions to the rear that show how the bank's operations grew over time. It is also known as Wherry House.
The Bank of New South Wales opened in Charters Towers in July 1872, two days after the Australian Joint Stock Bank, then moved to Millchester that October before returning to Charters Towers in January 1876. The present two-storey masonry building on Gill Street, designed by Eyre & Munro and built by Kelleher in 1889, replaced earlier timber bank buildings on other sites. Rear additions trace the bank's later expansion.
The Bank of New South Wales opened in Charters Towers in 1872, two days after the Australian Joint Stock Bank, then moved to Millchester that October before returning to Charters Towers in January 1876. The 1889 Gill Street building is also known as Wherry House. Its rear additions trace how the town's banking business changed over time.
The former bank stands at 34–36 Gill Street, in the block where Gill Street meets the town grid laid out in 1874. It is a two-storey masonry building with later additions to the rear, so the 1889 front is what is seen from the street. Other former banks, including the old Queensland National Bank, are a short walk away in Mosman Street.
The city and this bank's existence trace back to an unusual discovery: a boy named Jupiter found gold in the area in 1871, triggering a gold rush. This chance finding set the foundation for Charters Towers to develop as a mining town.
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