Vera Lynn’s signature tune was being hummed by a WWII nurse video apparition at the Mt Isa Underground Hospital exhibit.  The Japanese threat was keenly felt here and the Isa was a major staging post and strategic point in our northern defences.  At one time, the Yanks had 1500 large trucks stationed here, involved in massive 12 day convoys to Katherine and Darwin.  The threat of bombing was palpable and so it was determined that the hospital should be able to retreat to an underground shelter if required.  There were plenty of miners around with the skill and the community at large had the inclination, so without any government assistance, they dug some tunnels and could have accommodated 80 patients, including a maternity ward and a place to operate (theatre would overstate it).  Fortunately, it was never used except by tired nurses escaping the heat – at least, that’s the story we were told!  The exhibition is relatively newly opened and is just great👍👍.

We had arrived in Mt Isa after stopping for 2 nights at Corella near Julia Creek.  It’s the least hip HipCamp so far (probably in the world), but we came to enjoy it.  Not so much a farm stay as a backyard and barnyard and junkyard stay.  ATGANI was not actually in the chook shed but it was pretty close.  The “settlement” of Nelia consists of a couple of fine scrap-metal brolgas, a railway crossing and exactly two houses. Corella is one of the houses and the yard we parked in was inhabited by goats, sheep, chooks, guinea fowl, ducks, geese, peacocks, wallabies, a dog and even a massive Brahman cow (named Milly), all of which came and went randomly.  Georgi, our host, was warm and very down-to-earth and presented solid, rustic cooking for dinner if you chose (I had goat curry one night and it was pretty good).  Her partner Eric mooched around doing “stuff” but never to Georgi’s satisfaction, and let’s just say he was much more useful in the morning than as the day wore on!  We also said we’d buy a dozen fresh eggs – I got 6 because as Eric told me, the f**kers aren’t laying.  Still, I was given a bunch of fresh herbs in lieu and the basil in particular, was excellent.  An experience, at the least…the very least.

It’s possible that we missed (yet another) trick on the way to Mt Isa.  We could have camped at the deserted remains of Mary Kathleen, the town that supported the eponymous Uranium mine.  Once closed, the entire town was auctioned off and most of the sold houses were then transported to Cloncurry, Mt Isa or even further afield.  When building the town, they completed houses at a rate of one per day – and they sold the lot in just one day.  What’s left are hundreds of concrete pads (the garage floors).  Ideal for camping and there were scores of vans, trailers and tents all over the place but with heaps of room to spare.

The key reason to go here, apart from the obvious charm of a ghost town, is the mine itself (don’t think of taking your little Alfa Giulietta in here – strictly 4WD).  The bowl at the bottom of the open-cut face has now filled with water.  But the water has turned the most irridescent blue you’ve ever seen and is very clear to boot.  Allegedly, it’s not because of the uranium or the radioactivity, just other mineral salts, but this is NO place for a swim.  We saw it on a cloudy day but it must be electric when the sun is out – pretty remarkable.

Meanwhile, back in Mt Isa, we took the almost obligatory underground mine tour.  This is a faux experience, set up after Glencore stopped real mine tours – MIM became Xstrata and was then bought by Glencore, possibly with other ownership detours along the way.  Copper is the key but silver, lead and zinc still have a profitable presence.  An energetic mayor with a vision and enthusiastic supporters, set up what has become quite a tourist destination.  In any event, the tour itself is pretty interesting; the volunteer guides are retired miners who know the facts and are able to tell “stories”, adding authenticity to the event.  We even got to do a bit of hands-on drilling and have crib in (where else?) the crib room.  It all takes place 15m underground not 1500m, but it was well worth it anyway👍.  Incidentally, their café broke the “by myself” scone rule too – it seems to be a trend👎.

I know most of you are waiting for this: Copper comes out of the seam at 30,000 parts per million but, naturally, the numbers on what it takes to find the seam were missing! Remember: Kalgoorlie gold is 3 parts per million; Newman iron ore is 300,000 parts per million. Get it? Got it! Good! Cu, Ag, Pb, and Zn all require lots of noxious processing.

The biggest talking point in town is theft and minor night-time mayhem, mostly blamed on kids and the demon alcohol.  Think amateur Alice Springs of late.  Our caravan park, imaginatively named Mt Isa CP, has been taken over by new owners with a security background and they were busy erecting a cyclone mesh and barbed wire fence a couple of metres tall around the entire park.  (I’ve read that in the US, people in gated communities feel less safe than those outside.)  There were both foot and car patrols at night but still, while we were there, at least one van was robbed – the van had been left unlocked and the thieves were pretty considerate: only took cash and left credit cards, keys, etc on the ground nearby.  A bad feeling! 

So, we left Mt Isa with mixed emotions.  Despite a couple of truly excellent activities and interesting sights, we couldn’t decide whether we disliked it a bit, or a lot!  As ever, the positive view sees people working hard to build a better life while the downside just imagines what could possibly go wrong?