The Isa!

Well here we sit in

Mt Isa!!

Well we actually don't do much sitting here I must say!

But I will get to that later!!

We left Kurumba & we were headed to Darwin instead of going the Savannah Way

we decided to go via Mt Isa

as Husband has a friend there & we thought we would call in & say hello on our way!

We drove through Normanton & then on to the Burke & Wills Road House for lunch!

The scenery again ever changing yet ever similar!

I took over the wheel & drove the last 150 kms in to town!!

Now that was a tad bit scary towing the van as the road trains & some of them over

50 meters long come flying past!!

Oh Boy I am Good!

Only one little mistake but we don't need to go there!

Now I have decided I am kicking Mark out of the drivers seat!

As the next thing I will be doing is the

reversing of the van into our caravan park spot!

I am over doing the directing bit!

Because more times than not we end up in an argument!

OK over to the left, no straight back, no over to the right more!

Sheeez!! 

According to you know who!!!
Apparently my directions are very rarely right!

Anyway back to Mount Isa!

Our few day stay has now seen us here for over a month!
Both Mark & I have been inundated with work!
Hence the statement......... "We don't do much sitting here"

Even though the photo below tells another story!

Me zipping around our park where I am now the cleaning lady!

I work 7 days a week & have 2 jobs!! 

The other in the local nursing home!

It is the most work I have done for

Sooooo long!!! 

We have now decided to give Darwin a miss as the temperatures are rising & the wet & cyclone season is about to set in!

Already the temps here in Mt Isa are in the late 30's!!!

So so hot!

We are only staying here till about the middle of December & have now decided to go home for Christmas!

I cant wait to see our family & friends!

We will only be there for about 2 weeks & from there we thought we would head down south & through Victoria & South Oz then back up the centre in say about April / May!

 Well that's the plan even though we really don't do plans!

Now what can I tell you about Mt Isa!

Well it is dry hot & surrounded by mountainous rock as the whole town is set around the mines!

They mine copper silver zinc & lead

The majority of people here work in the mines & reap in the big $$$$$$$

Mt Isa covers an area of over 41,000 Sq Kms

which makes it geographically the largest city in the world!

 With a population of approx 23 thousand people 4,000 of those are indigenous

10,000 male & 9,000 female!

There is an artificial lake about 15 kms out of town

Lake Moondarra which is just a beautiful spot for a picnic or to spend the day on the

lake fishing & relaxing!

Just this weekend they held the annual

 Lake Moondarra Fishing Classic!

It is a competition which ran from Friday to Sunday every year they hold this event

A big tagged Barramundi is released into the lake a few days before & if he is caught

the prize is 45,000 dollars!

As Husband said though they would of fed it before releasing it & it will probably go

into hiding for about a week so the chances of anyone reeling it in would be very slim indeed!

Anyway it is all fun & games & it ads a bit of excitement into the town!

The lake is also Mt Isa main water supply!

We also took a trip out to Mary Kathleen which was in it's day a uranium mine with the

township built around it!

We are not sure why they stopped mining for uranium but the township is now nothing but a ghost town with empty streets & concrete slabs where the miners homes & shops & schools all would of stood proudly back in the boom!

Also out there is an open cut mine with all its terraced levels which

  goes deep into the earths core!

This hole is full of water from the rain & the colour is the most unusual blue you really need to see it! As the photo does not do it justice!
The colour is caused by a chemical reaction from the uranium!

Mt Isa by night!

Mt Isa by day!

Husband forever trying!

Home home on the range.... No make that rocks

                                                                 Outside our Isa Abode!

The closed cemetery because of the destruction from the 50 million bats that decided to reside there!

                                                     Part of husbands contribution to Mt Isa!

Inside our Isa abode!

Happy Hour!

Followed by dinner time!

Now for Some of the local's!

Too cute are our Rock Wallabies!

 Green Frogs everywhere here & they so love the loo's......They make me jump every time I flush!!!

I love cows!

These poor horses do not look healthy!

                   These birds are ugly but cute & very weird they come up to you & beg for food!!

Well that is a bit about Mt Isa!

                                 I really like it here & the people are so so friendly & lovely but
                                                             as the saying goes........
                                                                              It is a

 Great place to visit but

You wouldn't want to live here!!

Well you might but we wouldn't!!

Cheers from the Isa!!!