As I mentioned in my last, our trip from Burke and Wills was uneventful, and covered a route with which we are now quite familiar. I've not included any photos of our approach into Mount Isa as this would be repeating last year's efforts.
On our day trip to 'The Isa' last year we both thought that this town had much to offer and that we would need four of five days to do it justice. This was not so. Bearing in mind that neither of us were attracted to the underground mine tour, three clear days were more than enough for us to feel we had 'seen the sights of Isa'. One could be forgiven for thinking that this introduction is a harbinger of a tale of a few less than stimulating days....wrong!
On our day trip to 'The Isa' last year we both thought that this town had much to offer and that we would need four of five days to do it justice. This was not so. Bearing in mind that neither of us were attracted to the underground mine tour, three clear days were more than enough for us to feel we had 'seen the sights of Isa'. One could be forgiven for thinking that this introduction is a harbinger of a tale of a few less than stimulating days....wrong!
In one of those (in this case) delightful co-incidences of a life on the road, we had no sooner pulled up to back onto our very dry and dusty site at the Sunset Caravan Park
when who should be walking towards us but Andy, our previous neighbour of a few days some weeks ago at Kurrimine Beach. We had gotten on famously with both him and his wife Vicki, who had actually commented at KB that we had made her feel more welcome than she had at any other park.
As you can guess, this was the start of some serious socialising at Mount Isa, but before we get to that, my promised tale of woe.
We accessed our site by driving past the park pool (around which we lolled on several occasions in the unseasonal heat)
and down our site roadway (this is a later shot...we are already on site as you can see....I've included this for those who like to get a feel for the parks in which we stay)
Our allotted space was quite large and relatively shady for a better part of the day, which by now we recognised was a real plus, but its entire surface was fine dust. Not a blade of grass in sight. Given my aversion to dust, this did not entirely inspire me at the time, but I have to say the special C-Gear flooring we carry now came into its own. This material has been designed to ensure that dust drops through it and cannot come back the other way...and it works. It is bloody marvellous in situations like these, and for me, a life saver.
But I digress. One of the standard requirements of any mooring is to ensure that the van is level. To fail to do so can play havoc with the operation of the fridge. So, once we were on site I checked the floor levels with our trusty spirit level. In doing so, I took off my driving glasses, and, because I was so damned tired from our previous two nights of fun and games, forgot I had left them on the van step. You guessed it....as I re-entered the van shortly afterwards I was assailed by an ominous crunching sound. Bugger, I thought, I've trodden on one of the ant traps we keep near the door. I wish! One completely wrecked, very expensive glasses frame. And I mean wrecked....not just twisted...split.
There are times on the road when you wish you could put life on rewind. This was definitely one of them. I have come to utterly rely on these long distance lenses for driving so a repair of some sort was imperative. Murphy's law again....the charming and very efficient lass at Mt Isa OPSM politely told me that the required frame welding job could only be done in Brisbane....turn around time two weeks! Not an option. She valiantly battled with several similar lightweight metal frames, but none would hold the lenses. In the end she set them into a very large and bulky plastic frame by heating it and allowing it to shrink around the glass....very natty. Not a fashion statement, but functional. Laubmann and Pank, Marion, here I come. I must say the entire exercise taught me that not only do I need spare reading glasses, which I carry, but also spare driving glasses. I think the $153 the emergency frame cost is but the beginning.
As you can no doubt imagine, my lunch that day was a sombre affair. But after a more than usually necessary afternoon nap, and a somewhat boisterous happy hour, a positive perspective on life was re-acquired.
I did mentioned the social scene, did I not? Our Kurrimine Beach mate Andy, who believe it or not was on the site directly opposite us, had made himself known to his neighbours, who, as it transpired were a great bunch. We did make the most of new and old acquaintances whilst at Mount Isa, both at the park,
and, on the evening prior to our departure, at a delightful meal at the renowned Mount Isa Buffs Club.
But enough of this giddy social whirl. To Mount Isa itself. My abiding impression, from both visits, is that there can never be any doubt that this is a mining town. Apart from the fact that every second citizen on the streets or in the shopping centres is wearing 'highviz' work clothes and industrial boots, and usually pretty grubby at that, the skyline of The Isa, from almost every viewpoint, is dominated by the smoke stacks and the infrastructure of the mine itself.
This is never better illustrated than from the vantage point of the town lookout, one of many hills on and around which MI is built, in a manner strangely reminiscent of Townsville (although it would be hard to imagine two more different Qld towns).
Looking east across the CBD (note the cattle road train making its way along the Barkly Highway which runs right through the centre of town), the dominance of the mine is obvious. Even when the main workings are not in view, the huge cement smoke stack invariably is. The construction of this is a tale in itself.
Between January 1977 and March 1978, a total of nearly 90 construction workers employed by the civil engineering company Tileman (Qld) Pty Ltd (oddly enough this company is recognised as a world leader in chimney construction) laboured away at the task which was far from simple. Once the foundations had been poured, a steel working platform was constructed to allow for continuing pours as the stack rose. This included a windshield to protect both the workers and the job from the atmospheric assaults to which the site was subjected. At a height of 30 metres all work stopped to allow for the construction of two lifts which were needed to then transport men and materials to the live working decks.
All continued on schedule at approximately five metres per day until, in January 1978, at a height of 60 metres, it was realised that those working on the chimney were being exposed to the dangerous gases being emitted from the nearby copper and lead processing stacks.
The solution...in a world first, a special cocoon was built over the working decks which not only protected those building the stack, but allowed them to do so in air conditioned comfort. No union squabbles here!
From this point work was completed on schedule, a construction which included service platforms and galleries, a service lift and aircraft warning lights. The finished product now stands 270 metres high, has an upper diameter of 12.4 metres and consumed 17,400 tonnes of concrete in its construction. In a way 'the stack', as it is universally known, reminded us of a wind farm tower. They look impressive enough from a distance, but it is not until one stands directly under them that their real size becomes apparent. Just so with the MI stack....it is huge!
But back to our overview of MI. Panning to the south from the mine shot we can just see the poppet head of the 'Hard Times Mine' tourist attraction (for most, not us) on the far right of the shot.
To the north-west the view includes the town's main sporting grounds (note the only grass is at the front of the building), one of the town's water storage tanks right out to the airfield which is the brown smudge in the far distance.
I recall in last year's blog I included a photo of this 'white house on the hill', but from the approach side into Isa. I have taken it this time from the lookout, to give some feel for the barren landscape on which Isa is built, but also to comment that this building attracts so much attention from visitors that it is actually included in the tourist blurb....described as a 'private house' and accompanied by the warning that visitors (read gawkers) are not welcome!
Bloody hot and dry? Silly question. As fortune would have it we spent our time on the FNQ coast in one of the wettest winters they have experienced for ages, and now we were caught up in the hottest spring this part of the world has seen for many years. Thank you, Huey! For over a fortnight the daytime temperature did not sit lower than the high 30's whilst the mid 20's was the night time average.
Isa is certainly struggling in the drought. This parched school oval is a classic example of the way in which the town has just seemed to shrivel up. Severe water restrictions throughout this part of the country reminded us starkly of those grim days of a few years past when we were trying to keep our Adelaide garden alive. But, of course, SA now has a desal plant doesn't it. Ever been used?
To add insult to injury, on our way to view the very impressive entrance to the mine workings
we came across the equally impressive town swimming complex,
complete with green lawn and shady picnic spots.
And why was I taking photos through the fence instead of indulging in all that was on offer? The answer was frustratingly simple. Great! We'll be long gone by the 15th and don't thank me. Bloody Murphy again.
The MI CBD, in general, we found functional but uninviting. There were pockets, however, where this was not the case, such as on the 'mineside' end of Rodeo Drive, where the Civic Chambers and performing arts centre take pride of place.
It is also at this end of town that the large Mount Isa Hotel grandly overlooks the lesser buildings around it,
and Rodeo Drive presents one of the few relatively green and leafy areas in the CBD,
in which this is a far more typical streetscape.
For a mining town, there are surprisingly few pubs in Mount Isa. This is a town of clubs. Apart from The Buffs of our farewell dinner fame, there is the even larger Irish Club, a huge complex on the south side of town, and a number of sporting and other clubs catering for various interest groups, of which, in MI there are myriads. This town boasts one of the most cosmopolitan populations in Australia.
Sadly, from my perspective, one such club which has fallen on hard times is the local RSL. Whilst I suspect its operation has been moved to the nearby 'Services Bowling Club', this once rather imposing clubhouse and its huge surrounding car park now lie idle.
As I discovered, the social fabric of Mount Isa is different to almost any other town in the country and is, in the main, a direct product of the mine and its development. More of the town's history in my next.
We accessed our site by driving past the park pool (around which we lolled on several occasions in the unseasonal heat)
and down our site roadway (this is a later shot...we are already on site as you can see....I've included this for those who like to get a feel for the parks in which we stay)
Our allotted space was quite large and relatively shady for a better part of the day, which by now we recognised was a real plus, but its entire surface was fine dust. Not a blade of grass in sight. Given my aversion to dust, this did not entirely inspire me at the time, but I have to say the special C-Gear flooring we carry now came into its own. This material has been designed to ensure that dust drops through it and cannot come back the other way...and it works. It is bloody marvellous in situations like these, and for me, a life saver.
But I digress. One of the standard requirements of any mooring is to ensure that the van is level. To fail to do so can play havoc with the operation of the fridge. So, once we were on site I checked the floor levels with our trusty spirit level. In doing so, I took off my driving glasses, and, because I was so damned tired from our previous two nights of fun and games, forgot I had left them on the van step. You guessed it....as I re-entered the van shortly afterwards I was assailed by an ominous crunching sound. Bugger, I thought, I've trodden on one of the ant traps we keep near the door. I wish! One completely wrecked, very expensive glasses frame. And I mean wrecked....not just twisted...split.
There are times on the road when you wish you could put life on rewind. This was definitely one of them. I have come to utterly rely on these long distance lenses for driving so a repair of some sort was imperative. Murphy's law again....the charming and very efficient lass at Mt Isa OPSM politely told me that the required frame welding job could only be done in Brisbane....turn around time two weeks! Not an option. She valiantly battled with several similar lightweight metal frames, but none would hold the lenses. In the end she set them into a very large and bulky plastic frame by heating it and allowing it to shrink around the glass....very natty. Not a fashion statement, but functional. Laubmann and Pank, Marion, here I come. I must say the entire exercise taught me that not only do I need spare reading glasses, which I carry, but also spare driving glasses. I think the $153 the emergency frame cost is but the beginning.
As you can no doubt imagine, my lunch that day was a sombre affair. But after a more than usually necessary afternoon nap, and a somewhat boisterous happy hour, a positive perspective on life was re-acquired.
I did mentioned the social scene, did I not? Our Kurrimine Beach mate Andy, who believe it or not was on the site directly opposite us, had made himself known to his neighbours, who, as it transpired were a great bunch. We did make the most of new and old acquaintances whilst at Mount Isa, both at the park,
and, on the evening prior to our departure, at a delightful meal at the renowned Mount Isa Buffs Club.
But enough of this giddy social whirl. To Mount Isa itself. My abiding impression, from both visits, is that there can never be any doubt that this is a mining town. Apart from the fact that every second citizen on the streets or in the shopping centres is wearing 'highviz' work clothes and industrial boots, and usually pretty grubby at that, the skyline of The Isa, from almost every viewpoint, is dominated by the smoke stacks and the infrastructure of the mine itself.
This is never better illustrated than from the vantage point of the town lookout, one of many hills on and around which MI is built, in a manner strangely reminiscent of Townsville (although it would be hard to imagine two more different Qld towns).
Looking east across the CBD (note the cattle road train making its way along the Barkly Highway which runs right through the centre of town), the dominance of the mine is obvious. Even when the main workings are not in view, the huge cement smoke stack invariably is. The construction of this is a tale in itself.
Between January 1977 and March 1978, a total of nearly 90 construction workers employed by the civil engineering company Tileman (Qld) Pty Ltd (oddly enough this company is recognised as a world leader in chimney construction) laboured away at the task which was far from simple. Once the foundations had been poured, a steel working platform was constructed to allow for continuing pours as the stack rose. This included a windshield to protect both the workers and the job from the atmospheric assaults to which the site was subjected. At a height of 30 metres all work stopped to allow for the construction of two lifts which were needed to then transport men and materials to the live working decks.
All continued on schedule at approximately five metres per day until, in January 1978, at a height of 60 metres, it was realised that those working on the chimney were being exposed to the dangerous gases being emitted from the nearby copper and lead processing stacks.
The solution...in a world first, a special cocoon was built over the working decks which not only protected those building the stack, but allowed them to do so in air conditioned comfort. No union squabbles here!
From this point work was completed on schedule, a construction which included service platforms and galleries, a service lift and aircraft warning lights. The finished product now stands 270 metres high, has an upper diameter of 12.4 metres and consumed 17,400 tonnes of concrete in its construction. In a way 'the stack', as it is universally known, reminded us of a wind farm tower. They look impressive enough from a distance, but it is not until one stands directly under them that their real size becomes apparent. Just so with the MI stack....it is huge!
But back to our overview of MI. Panning to the south from the mine shot we can just see the poppet head of the 'Hard Times Mine' tourist attraction (for most, not us) on the far right of the shot.
To the north-west the view includes the town's main sporting grounds (note the only grass is at the front of the building), one of the town's water storage tanks right out to the airfield which is the brown smudge in the far distance.
I recall in last year's blog I included a photo of this 'white house on the hill', but from the approach side into Isa. I have taken it this time from the lookout, to give some feel for the barren landscape on which Isa is built, but also to comment that this building attracts so much attention from visitors that it is actually included in the tourist blurb....described as a 'private house' and accompanied by the warning that visitors (read gawkers) are not welcome!
Bloody hot and dry? Silly question. As fortune would have it we spent our time on the FNQ coast in one of the wettest winters they have experienced for ages, and now we were caught up in the hottest spring this part of the world has seen for many years. Thank you, Huey! For over a fortnight the daytime temperature did not sit lower than the high 30's whilst the mid 20's was the night time average.
Isa is certainly struggling in the drought. This parched school oval is a classic example of the way in which the town has just seemed to shrivel up. Severe water restrictions throughout this part of the country reminded us starkly of those grim days of a few years past when we were trying to keep our Adelaide garden alive. But, of course, SA now has a desal plant doesn't it. Ever been used?
To add insult to injury, on our way to view the very impressive entrance to the mine workings
we came across the equally impressive town swimming complex,
complete with green lawn and shady picnic spots.
And why was I taking photos through the fence instead of indulging in all that was on offer? The answer was frustratingly simple. Great! We'll be long gone by the 15th and don't thank me. Bloody Murphy again.
The MI CBD, in general, we found functional but uninviting. There were pockets, however, where this was not the case, such as on the 'mineside' end of Rodeo Drive, where the Civic Chambers and performing arts centre take pride of place.
It is also at this end of town that the large Mount Isa Hotel grandly overlooks the lesser buildings around it,
and Rodeo Drive presents one of the few relatively green and leafy areas in the CBD,
in which this is a far more typical streetscape.
For a mining town, there are surprisingly few pubs in Mount Isa. This is a town of clubs. Apart from The Buffs of our farewell dinner fame, there is the even larger Irish Club, a huge complex on the south side of town, and a number of sporting and other clubs catering for various interest groups, of which, in MI there are myriads. This town boasts one of the most cosmopolitan populations in Australia.
Sadly, from my perspective, one such club which has fallen on hard times is the local RSL. Whilst I suspect its operation has been moved to the nearby 'Services Bowling Club', this once rather imposing clubhouse and its huge surrounding car park now lie idle.
As I discovered, the social fabric of Mount Isa is different to almost any other town in the country and is, in the main, a direct product of the mine and its development. More of the town's history in my next.
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