Monday 17th July

Left Barcaldine this morning after a surprisingly pleasant weekend. We have a couple of longish days ahead of us mainly because we want to have time to shop in Mount Isa and that will be the last opportunity until we get to Halls Creek in WA.

The scenery is quite different as we head out towards Longreach and then Winton, both places we have explored before. As you can see it is a vast open landscape with huge skies, the whole thing takes your breath away. Pat likes the big skies and here are three;

In Longreach, is the Qantas Museum, although the very beginnings of the airline were in Winton I think.

We refuel at Longreach and drive on 180 ks to Winton. There are some very interesting places to visit in this area where they have discovered archeological evidence of several different dinosaurs and there is an excellent ‘experience’ centre.

Another 50 ks and we arrive at Fig Tree Waterhole, a nightstop Pat has discovered. It’s a little rough getting in but it is a beautiful spot created by a substantial breakaway.

It is nice and quiet with only one other van here, a couple of camper trailers turn up later but they are out of sight.

There are some aboriginal paintings on the walls of the waterhole but they are very indistinct and there are some native Rock Fig trees and acacia trees (Lancewood) growing around the waterhole.

We have a very peaceful night!

Tuesday 18th July

We cover a few ks today but the driving is relatively easy on mostly straight roads but the scenery does change every 100ks or so!

We stop for lunch at Chinaman’s Creek Dam, just outside Conclurry.

For tonight we’re heading for an abandoned mining town called Mary Kathleen, off the highway about 65ks before Mt Isa.

The town was first settled in the 1860s and in 1954, a significant deposit of uranium was found on the site. Mary Kathleen was the late wife of Norm McConachy, one of those who discovered the uranium deposit.

Between 1958 and 1963, 4,080 tonnes of uranium oxide were extracted from the mine at Mary Kathleen.   By this time, the contract to supply had been satisfied ahead of schedule and the mine was closed down. Mary Kathleen entered a state of decline as workers began to move on. The mine remained abandoned for 10 years thereafter.

During the 1970s, the oil crisis saw new contracts. The mine at Mary Kathleen reopened in 1974 and by time it closed again in 1982, a further 4,802 tonnes of uranium oxide had been extracted, at which point it was deemed to be exhausted.  It has been closed ever since.

The town of Mary Kathleen was located six kilometres from the mine and had amenities such as a post office, cinema, school, shops and sporting facilities. By 1961, about 1000 people lived in the town but when the mine closed 2 years later, numbers declined rapidly with only 80 remaining during the 10 years the mine lay idle.   As it reopened again in 1974, the town grew again and peaked at 1200 in 1981.

These days the townsite provides a very large area for campers from tents to large rigs.   There are no facilities so we have to be independant but it seems to work.   For a change there is very little rubbish around the place and there are enough people camping to make it reasonably secure.

By 1985 the town had been demolished. All that is left are a few concrete pads, useful for caravanners, that show where a house was built. The rest was given over to grass again and whoever owns it now keeps cattle on this area and they wander across in late afternoon in search of a drink.

We are going to stay here a couple of nights so that we can have a morning shopping in Mt Isa, the last shopping opportunity for a week or so and we get to Halls Creek in WA after crossing the Northern Territory.

Thursday 19th July

Having done the shopping yesterday we’re heading out this morning but we need to fill up with water in Mt Isa on the way through.

The only reason for Mt Isa to be here is the mine, which dominates the town, together with the power station.

We’re leaving via Mt Isa to top up with water. The town is an industrial centre which is dominated by this big chimney. Then we’re heading for Camooweal. We have been there before but we have heard rumours that it is going to be closed by the Shire, no particular reason as far as we know.

The camping is beside the river and it is very popular, there is a good pub in the community for a meal and a shop. We arrive at lunchtime and find a handy spot by the river where we get settled and have some lunch. We will spend three nights here and set out again on Sunday.

The river has quite a lot of water in it and there are birds everywhere, notably Whistling Kites, several pairs, one of which at least is nesting in a viewable position.

The Brolgas are plentiful and noisy.

Last night was the first time we really got to see the big skies at night, no clouds and warm evening to sit outside and watch for the odd satellite amongst the stars.

We’re going to be leaving here tomorrow and are not sure when we will have a good signal again so we will publish this evening, once Pat has edited / corrected it!

We hope that we will be able to come back here again, it is a beautiful spot.

……………..and perhaps there’ll be a few Red Claw and / or Yabbies around! The general consensus is that the water is still too cold!!!!!