About Mount Isa, Mining Metropolis

Today, being Sunday, all shops are closed at the Isa except a new IGA store, just across the road, being the main Highway from Cloncurry. I still had a freebie ticket to checkout the local historical display that is setup in part of the Information Centre building. Looking at the displayed items and the old photographs, I get to realise, yet again, all the hardships people had to endure to even just get here, even after rail lines had been built

I also met a (now) local who came here with her husband a few months ago from Sydney. He is an electrician and works 4 days on, then 4 days off, down the mine. They both love it here, even though the quality of the available coffees and cappucinos are not quite up to scratch yet, as she put it. I tried a cappucino at the little café at the Info Centre. I thought it was quite good (if expensive at $3.80). People are friendly as you would ecpect in any country town, even though the population is (according to the local brochure) about 23,500.

The Mining Company seems to be doing many things for the general population, as well as enhance tourism. A nice park has been setup including a lily pond and a nice waterfall, also an auditorium for all sorts of events. It has probably been setup fairly recently as a lot of the vegetation there needs to grow a bit more. Mount Isa has been in drought for a number of years and from what I have seen so far, all the riverbeds have dried up for hundreds of kilometres. The Mt Isa catchment is now only filled to about 17%. The city is getting its water now from one of the nearby lakes. Even though my camping area is very nicely shaded with trees, the ground is powder dry - when I pour a bit of water on it, it just sits on top for quite a while before the ground will finally absorb it.

This is my spot in the park at Mount Isa.