Pink Skies in the Outback
Not far from the Queensland/Northern Territory border is the city of Mount Isa, located in the Gulf Region of Outback Queensland which is a very hot and arid part of Australia. We had driven through some of the flattest, driest drought-stricken landscapes that we have ever experienced so it was a welcome sight to see some hills, although denuded from the mining excavations.
Mt Isa Sign
Mount Isa, or “Isa” as it known by its locals, is an iconic Australian mining town which is dominated by the sprawling Mount Isa Mine with its 270m exhaust stack from the lead smelter. The mine is the deepest underground mine and is still the worlds largest single producer of copper, silver, lead and zinc.
Mount Isa Mines
A good introduction to Mount Isa is a 2 hour city tour where you will learn the history of mining from discovery to current day operations. Get a bird’s eye view of the town from the Hilary Street Lookout. It’s an especially good spot to take sunset photos or evening mine shots.
Mount Isa Lookout
If you don’t do the tour, make sure you see the ‘Underground Hospital‘ which was built in 1942 after the bombing of Darwin. The hospital is tunnelled into the side of a hill and stands as a monument to the ingenuity and tenacity of the people of Mount Isa. There is also the Beth Anderson Museum, which is attached to the underground hospital, which features a wonderful collection of antique medical equipment and stories of the times.
Underground Hospital, Mount Isa
If you are into art, then visit the Outback at Isa Artworks, which has the famous miner statue taking pride of place in front. There are exhibits of local outback artists paintings, a copper mural and Riversleigh-inspired quilts, to name a few.
The Hard Times Mine tour will take you deep into the heart of mining and gives you a unique opportunity to experience what it was actually like to toil far below the surface on a daily basis. Tours are available 7 days a week and runs for 2.5 hours.
Hard Times Mine, Mount Isa
Take your fishing rod out to Lake Moondarra, located 16 Kms north of Mount Isa and try to catch a Barramundi, Sooty Grunter, Long Tom or a Sleepy Cod, (yes these are species of fish!) It is a large body of water which even has a sandy beach for a swim or enjoy a picnic or BBQ on the foreshores.
Or maybe try to catch some fresh Red Claw in a crab pot. Toss them in a boiling pot of salty water and they are delicious to eat!
Red Claw
A visit to the Queensland Outback is an experience like no other. There is a stark beauty in the dry, dusty and brown landscapes. You feel as though you are a million miles away from civilization and you emphasise with the hardships that the inhabitants of this harsh land have to endure.
Comments are closed.
Michelle Weaver (@pinkypoinker)
April 11, 2016Despite living up in that region I never visited it. I know plenty of people who lived out there though and they are a resilient bunch.
Kathy
April 11, 2016You probably haven’t missed much, however I think a trip to the Queensland Outback is a quintessential experience just to see how resilient the people are out here.:)
Shere
April 12, 2016We visited Queensland but we didn’t drive to mount Is a, we will have to come back :D
Kathy
April 13, 2016Mount Isa is probably not on most visitor’s travel itineraries when they come to Queensland. It is a very remote area, but one that is worth seeing to witness the beauty of Outback Australia.
Rhonda Albom
April 16, 2016Mount Isa sounds interesting. My hubby would be fascinated (he’s an engineer). I did not know that Darwin was bombed in the war. Sounds like a lot of history imps this town.
Kathy
April 16, 2016Oh yes Darwin was totalled by Japanese bombings, then 20 years later they were once again totalled by Cyclone Tracey. The northern parts of Australia were turned into airfields and army barracks because of the impending threat of Japanese invasion. Fortunately our defence services fended them off. There is great history in some of these outback towns and cities.