TOD Tour 2.0 Day 35 - Cloncurry to My Isa

Barkly Highway - 130kms 

For a long time on this trip - thousands of kilometres - we've been driving through similar terrain. Through central and western Queensland, the Savannah and Channel country and the Gulf, its been variations on the theme of flat land and low vegetation. Most recently, the country which flows to the Gulf from the watershed formed by the Selwyn Ranges, with its multiple channels of the same river which to us were a succession of small, dry watercourses but in the wet run bankers or worse, become a slow, spreading watermark on the landscape.

That changed today when we turned to the west on the Barkly Highway, towards Mt Isa.

As soon as you cross the Cloncurry River on the western side of the town, you are in different country. Hills rise and fall to and from craggy mountains, their rugged and random faces of deep, rich browns through to red, making statements of intent to dominate the landscape. For the first time, a jump up has no real impact because more stringent tests dwarf them. Overtaking lanes are back in vogue to offer a chance to leave us caravaners in the wake of faster travelers and for caravaners to farewell a three of four bogey truck. The trees are thinner in number and tougher, eking out survival with little quarter given. The Whistling Kites are still the most prevalent bird but more dominant avian predators, such as the Wedge-tailed Eagle, are not too hard to spot on roadside kills or soaring thermals between the crags.

It was a lovely drive for its difference but also for the imposing manner it exerted its influence on passers through.

Speaking of imposing: the breasting of the final rise that leads into The Isa from the east, creates only one impression, that of the over whelming influence of the Mt Isa Mine. Despite lying over the Leichhardt River, it looms from Mineside over Townside, the two terms used to traditionally mark the division.

Outback at The Isa Experience

Once we settled into our digs, we first identified, found and judged the best coffee joint in town. In the corner of Bambino Expresso sat a professional woman, interacting with her laptop and eating a meal. It is one of my time-honoured methods of quality assessment. The coffee was superb.

From there we went to the information centre and went through the Outback at The Isa Experience, a tour through an excellent museum explaining the development of The Isa, a theatrette which shows several excellent short films and an expanded nature garden, complete with waterfall and with all the plants and trees endemic to the area. We even saw a Spotted Bower Bird, a new one for us. There were loads of lovely fluffy pink Pussy Tail plants.

Apart from some shopping and arranging for the pharmacy to import the drugs we need to keep us looking quasi-normal, we also visited the Irish Club. Its basically the average club which is dominated by Irish themes and very cleverly decorated to give the appearance of an Irish village. Sue was very impressed with all of that, where as I just wanted to sit at the bar and drink Guinness.

Click for today's photos

If we needed a reminder we were in the outback, it came in the form of the rugged hills our caravan park lies between and the stunning vistas they provide at change of day.