Mt Isa – Wednesday
Today was supposed to have been one of total relaxation but it didn’t happen. We had some shopping to do then washing of big items like quilt cover etc
. While we were “in town” we visited the Information Centre and they had some excellent displays. Mining is the reason Mt Isa was established and it continues to be the reason for its existence. From the Information Centre you can take an authentic mine tour kitted out in hard hat and fluoro togs. The tour is led by a miner. Copper, lead and zinc are the prizes. I didn’t fancy the tour, there’s too much environmental destruction for my liking. I know we all rely on the materials extracted but I don’t feel comfortable about it. Alex collected a few brochures then we went back to camp to do the washing.
After the washing was done we went across the road and I bought a new camera.
I wanted to see Lake Moondarra which is an enormous artificial lake constructed on the Leichardt River in 1956. The lake supplies the mines and city with water. It’s only 19 kms out of Mt Isa but aesthetically it could be on a different planet. The name, “Moondarra” is an aboriginal word meaning “plenty of rain and thunder”, certainly the density of trees makes it clear they get plenty of rain. I had fun taking shots of birds with the new camera and also ants trailing up to an anthill. I believe the hills are actually termite mounds but it was black ants going into the hole in the side of it, maybe they were raiders.
We’ve stocked up on supplies and are hoping to be at Adel’s Grove near Lawn Hill National Park for the next 3 nights. I’m not sure about phone access or internet so we might be out of contact for a while. Twice today I had to stop “The Fount of All Knowledge” going the wrong way down a dual carriageway. The first time he was pondering whether “The Fount of All Wisdom” would be a better name to have. I think it’s definitely time I removed him to a National Park. 🙂
2macstracks 
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