Homestead
The small township of Homestead is located 73 kilometres west of Charters Towers along the Flinders Highway and was named by pastoralist W.D. Stewart who owned and established Homestead Station.
Gold was discovered to the north of Homestead in 1883 and was mined intermittently for the next 50 years. Two hotels, two butcher shops, two stores, a bank and a cordial factory were part of the town during the railway era. A sleeper cutter sawmill operated here until 1970.
Between Homestead and Pentland are the remains of the Cape River Meatworks, built during World War II, which closed in 1989. Today you can see the mural at the school depicting local history.