150 km south west of Townsville. A gold-mining ghost town. Gold was found here in 1868, and yet another Australian gold rush was born. By the early 1870s more than 700 people lived here, and the main street consisted entirely of pubs and dance houses. What? Bearded prospectors in heavy boots whirling to the strains of the Blue Danube waltz? Hardly. Most of the dancing in such establishments was horizontal.

For almost 50 years, the nearby seams of gold and silver continued to produce nuggets, then slivers, then grains, then specks…  Until finally it wasn’t worth the candle, and even the most hard-bitten of the prospectors moved on.

Nowadays, Ravenswood has a population of around 200 thirsty souls, who manage to support two pubs, one general store and a church. The old Imperial Hotel still boasts swing doors and mirrors dating from the old days. Other buildings have been restored. It doesn’t take much to imagine what it must have been like in the so-called golden era. An atmospheric spot.