Mount Isa certainly is a mining town. There is no denying that. As soon as you drive into town you see the very large Mount Isa Mine which was first established in 1924.
It is said to be the only productive Australian mine that was so distant from a serviceable sea port or coal field. The township of Mount Isa was established close to the mine to accommodate the workers. Over the years the town and the mine have grown and it now feels as though both are competing for their own space.
Our first stop in Mount Isa was at the Visitor Information Centre in town which is aptly named Outback at Isa. It’s quite different to most centres we have visited and has quite a few attractions to enjoy other than all the usual valuable information.
Inside you will also find the Riversleigh Fossil Centre, the Isa Experience – which unfortunately was closed for renovations and the Outback Park which we enjoyed taking a stroll through. The Outback Park also has a hatchery out the back which includes a display area operated by the Mount Isa Fish Stocking Group. We enjoyed listening to the story of how the fish hatchery began and seeing the fish in their tanks. It actually gave us a chance to finally get ‘up close and personal’ with a real Barramundi.
They also offer a 2.5 hour underground mine tour called the ‘Hard Times Mine’ tour. Cameras are not permitted on this tour. You must be appropriately dressed. You are fitted out with additional safety apparel including overalls, boots, safety belts, cap lamps and helmets. Make sure you wear some light clothing and socks. Your tour guide is a true blue, dinky di, dirt covered, rock kicking, hard of hearing, tough as nails, Mount Isa Miner. Those are the words used by the guide.
While you are in town make sure you take a drive to the Hilary Street city lookout where you get a 360 degree bird’s eye view of Mount Isa and the chimney stacks.
We stayed at the Sunset Tourist Park, the park itself is very clean and tidy and the Managers very friendly. The amenity block was very clean and the laundry had ample washing machines. It also has a small swimming pool and camp kitchen and children’s playground. A powered site with water for two adults was $38 per night.
Other caravan parks told us our van was too big. So we checked them out. As it turns out we made a good choice staying where we did. A few of the other parks appear as though they only cater for the mining workers.
The next day we took a drive to Lake Moondarra which is only 16 kms north of Mount Isa. This is where the city’s main water supply comes from. The area is truly beautiful and has several BBQ or picnic areas to enjoy. You can take a great walk around some of the Lake’s foreshore looking for the local birdlife and even spotting a few of the fish as they fed in the shallows. Or take a walk along the dam wall where there are some wonderful photo opportunities. The Mount Isa Fish Stocking Group apparently restock the lake each year with Barramundi fingerlings. Sooty Grunter, Long Tom and Sleepy Cod are also found.
You will find just about everything you need in regards to shopping in Mount Isa. A great ‘Outback Experience. However, we were happy we only pulled in for a couple of nights and were looking forward to getting back on the open road.
Below are a list of others places we have visited that may be of interest to you:
Free Camps – Broken Hill to Cobar -NSW
NSW – Free camps, Donation camps, Showgrounds and Caravan Parks 2019
South Australia to Western Australia 2019
South Australia trip 2017/2018
Western Australia Coastal Trip 2018
Northern Territory – Free camps, Donation camps and Caravan Parks 2018/2019
Queensland Road Trip 2017/2018
Safe and happy travels.
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Happy Aussie Caravanning Lifestyle
Dixie and Graeme