Ambulance Building, Charters Towers, Heritage ambulance station in Charters Towers, Australia

The Ambulance Building is a two-story masonry structure at Gill Street featuring classical design elements such as arched openings, pilasters, and a stepped parapet. The structure now operates as a museum displaying historical artifacts, emergency vehicles, and logbooks from the early years of ambulance services.

The building was constructed in 1903 by Arthur Reid and James Walker, establishing Queensland's first regional ambulance service outside Brisbane. Its creation reflects how the rapidly expanding mining city recognized the need for organized emergency medical care.

The brigade that occupied the building from December 1900 was the first regional ambulance centre opened in Queensland, formed after a public meeting called by Mayor John Asher Benjamin on 12 October 1900. Its officers were paid £3 a week, and 20 to 30 honorary staff bought their own uniforms at £6 a head.

The building stands at 157 Gill Street in the centre of Charters Towers, within walking distance of Mosman Street and the town's other heritage buildings. It is a two-storey masonry structure, so expect stairs between floors. Allow time to look through both levels and the rooms where crews once worked.

The Charters Towers brigade, operational from December 1900, was the first regional ambulance centre opened in Queensland, preceding this 1903 building. At the 12 October 1900 public meeting called by Mayor John Asher Benjamin, Superintendent R Nye Stevens set out the requirements: two paid officers at £3 a week, 20–30 honorary staff, and three improved Ashford Litters.