Mt Isa

Away fairly early (pre 9:00am) from Stoney Creek and on the road again. A quick stop at a Burke & Wills memorial at a spot where they stopped on 26th January 1861. It's mind boggling to think they walked/rode all this way through the bush.
Further on towards Mount Isa we pulled in to the abandoned Mary Kathleen township. We have seen the township, or what's left of it, before but had never made the trek to the actual mine. Following the signs we headed down the cracked roadway that gradually got worse and worse. Perhaps dragging the van in here was not such a good idea. We got to a point about 5km in when the road simply got too rough with the van attached, so we unhitched and left the van in a safe spot to continue on. It was certainly worth the effort. The mine is spectacular and the scenery around the area is worth the drive.
Back down to Mary Kathleen for some lunch. This is a very popular free camp site as it is a huge cleared level area. The trip in to Mt Isa was uneventful except for a broken down triple trailer dump truck half way up one of the hills. Luckily I was behind a semi and got around ok. Afternoon was spent stocking up at the supermarkets and Kmart. I think Faye was suffering mild Kmart withdrawal. The car is booked in for it's 60k service on Friday so it will be a quiet, clean up day before heading for the NT border. Border passes done!Read more