About a three and a half hour drive to Mount Isa. ot a bad site - pretty full. Has a pool. Had soup on for tonight (too hot) and live music, which we missed. Also had a hairdresser on site but couldn't fit me in. Lovely and sunny. Did touristy things. Went to City Lookout with views over Mt Isa and the mine which is right in the middle of town. Lookout was next to watertank which had been beautifully painted by David Houghton. Depicted on the tank is local fish such as bream and barra found in Lake Moondarra and scenery images from the nearby ranges teeming with local birdlife such as the lorikeet, Kalkadoon grass wren and black shouldered kite. Checked out Buchanan Park which hosts the biggest rodeo in the southern hemisphere. Plaques on Rodeo drive, De Havilland plane on a pole on the Leichhardt river as a nod to the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Next was Outback at Isa a great tourist information centre. Stores about the mine, heaps of precious rocks and a great video of the history of the mine narrated I think by Peter Beard who was very interesting. Went to Mary Kathleen Uranium mine about an hours drive away. Quite a spectacle. Eight rows of haulage roads and the beautiful blue water beneath from the minerals in the rocks but you wouldn't swim in it as it is still radioactive. Mary Kathleen was originally a mining town but was abandoned in 1984 after mining ceased in 1982. Clem Walton and Norm McConachy discovered uranium in 1954 and named the town after Norms wife. The town buildings were sold and relocated - all that's left are the buildings slabs and he checkerboard tiles of the ANZ bank. The town had swimming pool, basketball and tennis courts, churches, a school, library, petrol station etc. Lots of camel poo here but no camels. Used as a free campsite now. On the way back went to Corella Dam in Clem Walton Park. Nice spot to freecamp - heaps of vans.

Back at park Barry, the historian, was giving a talk on the history of mount isa but he was so long winded and kept getting off track that after an hour and a half we went back to our van. Christmas in July markets which had hardly anything christmassy and not much else either. Had new tyres put on car. Visited the Underground Hospital which was interesting. The hospital here originally started out as tents. When the Japs bombed Darwin they got the barracks and hospital mixed up and bombed the hospital. Mount Isa hospital thought that they may be a target as they were next to the mine and got the miners to build the underground hospital in case of an air raid where the patients could be transported from the main hospital. It was never used as Mount Isa was not bombed but was used by nurses working the night shift. The Beth Anderson museum has an array of vintage medical equipment and the Tent House which was part of a community built in 1930 to accommodate the booming population of workers.

Went to Lake Moondarra, a massive man made lake to supply the town of Mount Isa and also the Mine. Walked along the dam wall. Had a drink with Sam and Ian back at the van who were from WA and Sam marked out camp map book with placed to check out when we got there. So cold I put a blanket on the bed - first time this trip. Only about 5 degrees in the morning. Got the Natures Botanical fly repellant that Ian had told us about. Visited Casa Grande built by Julius Kruttschnitt in 1949 who was the director of Mount Isa mine who also organised the building of houses, instead of tents, for the workers. This is a beautiful home with darkwood furnishings and internal glass diving doors and an 18 seat dining table. The big wigs of the mine stay here when visiting the mine.