Mt Isa . . .
We loved Mt Isa! I reckon if we weren't continuing on with our travelling adventure; we would probably pull up here permanently. There is so much to do here in this little outback mining town. We stayed on townside in a Discovery Caravan Park. Over on mineside is where the mines are (self explanatory) and one of the most interesting things about Mt Isa for us was the blasts. Every day at 7.45-8am and pm there is a blast, and most of the town locals who have lived here their whole life comment on how the blasts are used as a clock for most.... you know it's just short of 8am/8pm at the sound of the blast. Every 6 weeks a huge blast will fire and shake the shit out of everything! The windows rattle, the ground shakes - I don't know how the houses are still standing! The Discovery Caravan Park was a great place to pull up for a few days (in our case 2 days turned into 5 days) as you can get a powered site with an ensuite for a mere $39/night.... and we loved that ensuite!
The underground hospital was a fantastic outing for us as a family.... for only $30/family (related or not) entry into a guided tour of the underground hospital, original old hospital with heaps of old equipment including manequins with teeth, and the only standing tent house left out of 300 of them; is what you will get for your money.... plus free crystals and rocks are yours for the taking from the table and gardens outside. The boys found copper drippings, amethyst, and many other precious rocks worth keeping. This outing is a great way to see some of Mt Isa's history in action dating back to 1842.
Just 7k's east of Mt Isa off the main highway you will come across a 3k drive inland over rocky landscapes, red soil and termite mounds of monstrous proportions. This scenic drive leads you to a magical place that boasts a serene waterhole and a few ancient aboriginal artworks. It's a shame to find some idiots have left graffiti on top of these aboriginal paintings - people like that wreck it for everyone else, and soon I'm sure it will close to the public to stop any further damage! shame!
Another great place to visit is Outback at Isa... a museum of history that incorporates the early drovers, a mine tour, a gallery of artworks and an exhibit hosting fossils found from the Riversleigh region. We loved this dinosaur exhibit as it shows not your typical known reptile prehistoric fossils; but the less known humungous land mammals that once roamed this region. It's amazing to see the evolution of our koalas, kangaroos, platypus and wombats of today. It was very educational - totally recommend this for the dinosaur enthusiasts.
Mt Isa has 2 significant places where you can see amazing views of the town and cloncurry region. The lookout (turn off opposite the information centre) showcases the townside and mineside views which is particularly stunning at sunset and twilight. The Telstra tower just 5k's east of Mt Isa oozes outback rural views back towards Cloncurry. It is a popular spot for the eager walkers to exercise their way to the top; but in our case we took the easy pathway and drove. You will also see the weather radar at the top of Telstra tower which is a huge cylinder with a ball on top.... we like to refer to it as the penis tower....lol.
Another must see place to visit is the Mary Kathleen Dam or better known to the locals as the East Leichardt River. You have to cross through a gate, battle through some cattle and tackle some 4wd dirt tracks plus a shallow river crossing to get there; but very much worth the trouble as the views are breathtaking. If you have an offroad camper trailer or tent; you should definitely stay to camp for a few days. A bit of exploring will uncover little quirks others have left behind; such as tree rope swings and step ladders up a tree as a lookout/cubby. Wish we could have got our caravan in there - it was simply stunning.
If you are heading to Mt Isa, stop in at the information centre and purchase a book called Cloncurry Trails - it shows you all the amazing places that only the locals know about.... information that you won't find in the regular tourist booklets.