In 1890, the Stock Exchange took up its offices in the arcade which became the focus of gold-mining investment during the peak period of Queensland's most important goldfield.

In 1886, a display featuring ore samples from the Charters Towers mines was set up at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in London.

This did not hold, collapsing in 1888, but as the fabled Brilliant Reef was discovered in the following year, the fortunes of the field were not depressed for long.

The Royal Arcade was a wise choice, being centrally placed in the main business area and close to agents and banks.

The Exchange signed an initial three-year lease for the use of an office and the courtyard for their evening call at a rent of ten pounds a month.

[1] Falling real estates values and vacant buildings allowed a number of private schools to establish themselves, providing a new economic life for Charters Towers as an educational centre.

Lack of pressure for expansion and development in Charters Towers meant that many of the buildings dating from the period when it was a world famous goldfield survived remarkably intact.

The central entrance is protected by a barrel-vaulted portico which projects out from the second storey over the pavement and is supported on timber posts.

It is flanked on the upper storey by pairs of windows and by a metal awning supported by posts to the street on the lower floor.

[1] The shop fronts facing the street and within the arcade incorporate large timber framed windows with coloured glass above and cast iron vents above and below.

The original timber stairs lead up to the rooms at first floor level which are linked by a bridge with a cast iron balustrade.

[1] A large, single storey brick assay house with a galvanised iron roof which contains a small collection of mining artefacts is attached to the rear on one side and a modern toilet block to the other.

The abrupt finish to the arcade, which appears to be uncompleted, evokes the rise and fall of fortunes typically connected with goldfield towns.

It is a rare, early example of an arcade in Queensland and has aesthetic value as a work of architecture that is well liked by the community for its scale, landmark barrel vault entrance, traditional shop fronts, material and detail.

It is a rare, early example of an arcade in Queensland and has aesthetic value as a work of architecture that is well liked by the community for its scale, landmark barrel vault entrance, traditional shop fronts, material and detail.

It is a rare, early example of an arcade in Queensland and has aesthetic value as a work of architecture that is well liked by the community for its scale, landmark barrel vault entrance, traditional shop fronts, material and detail.