Day 60 Monday Aug 4th 2014 Mt Isa

At 8:00am it’s only 4 degrees and it’s hard to get out of bed. We take the Jeep to O’Brien’s Windscreens and the chap assures us that the crack won’t get any worse.

We spend the morning driving around the residential streets looking at the housing. Most houses are metal clad with little or no garden. Those few with a good garden are a veritable oasis. Water is short but artesian water is available. We hear regular warnings on the radio advising people to leave their shoes and pets outside and to wash their hands after gardening and handling pets, because of the danger of lead poisoning. I wouldn’t garden here either.

While we amble about town we notice that five police cars and armed officers are staking out a school. We later hear that two men have been charged with carrying firearms.

 The government housing appears to have been designed by someone with no experience of the outback. Each house has a small slanted verandah over the front door. For heaven’s sake these people need a big wide verandah that shades the house and gives them somewhere to sit and contemplate on a hot evening.

The town water supply is 16kms out of town at Lake Mondarra. Along the way we see wheel tracks over the highest point of each hill. Four wheel driving is a serious sport around here. The lake is down to 27% capacity and has blue green algae. But it is a pleasant grassy spot.

I climb to the top of the hill behind the Caravan Park and discover a great view. The path is well marked and an easy climb, but the way down is very slippery as it is laid with shale. 

Towing Kms: 0

2021 Note: I didn’t mention the spinifex, not only was the shale slippery but each slide was stopped by a spiny spinifex bush…youch, youch, youch all the way back down.