Betten On Bike: DAY 17 - 24TH APRIL 2013 - MT ISA

Day 17 - 24th April 2013 - Mt Isa - sightseeing

Yes !!! Time for me to be able to go for a long walk this morning as it is a rest day.

Walter decided to accompany me for the first 15 minutes or so and then I went on alone & going at a nice fast pace decided to walk to the huge smelter copper & lead plant which was around 2.5 km down the road - amazing to see these big smoke stacks and treatment plants dotted around the city.

Kim had given us some tips on what to see today so we set out and went to The Underground Hospital which was a hospital built underground in 1942 due to the concern that the main hospital might be targeted to be bombed because of Mt Isa'a mining industry. This was indeed a very interesting place to visit - it was cool underground and the old beds, bedpans, cots and medical instruments were interesting to have a look at. The 2 local senior ladies who ran it were proud of all the artefacts it contained.

Then it was off to Lake Moondarra about 19 kms outside Mt Isa. It was quite large and beautiful lake / dam and a wonderful peaceful place for the locals to come we had been told, as the coast is so far away. A picnic lunch there together with 3 peacocks, one galah, a couple of noisy miners and a talkative crow. I think they wanted to keep as company as we were the only ones there and they were all very tame.

There is supposed to be a huge number of fresh water crocs there but we didn't spot any unfortunately.

Then to the underground mining tour - Decked out in overalls, heavy belt to carry the battery powered device to drive our head lights we went down the mine shaft lift to 25 metres below the earth and we were led to various mine chambers & shafts & shown various machines and drilling devices and the process used with the explosives to mine for the copper & lead. Interesting that women are the preferred drivers for the huge trucks in the mines as they are more focused on the job at hand and males have many more accidents with the trucks because they allow themselves to get distracted by music, phones, fiddling around in the truck after they have been driving the trucks for a while. Women, we were told are the preferred drivers for the mining companies as they are are more careful !!!

Every night just before 8pm you can hear the noise and feel the tremors indicating that the explosives for the next day's mining have been detonated and this happens each night at exactly the same time like clockwork.

A visit to the city look-out and then home - Mt Isa is an interesting mining city.