Our initial choice to ride out the impending storms was Mt Isa, but after driving through the town, decided we’d keep going. Reminiscent of Port Hedland, Mt Isa shares the same mining pedigree and has the same wounded soul. It’s a shame because the landscape around Mt Isa is actually really beautiful. It reminded us of the Kimberley with its rocky red outcrops and undulating hills cloaked in rich shades of green and brown rugged vegetation. Mt Isa predominantly mines silver, lead, copper and zinc in underground operations. It is one of the few locations around the world where the four minerals exist in close proximity. Cattle and tourism are the other major industries. Why you’d choose to ‘holiday’ in Mt Isa is a little curious but clearly people do!
We eventually pulled up stumps in Cloncurry; a sweet little town about an hour east of Mt Isa. For such an unassuming place in the Queensland Outback, it has a proud and rather illustrious past. It’s the birthplace of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (originally called the Aerial Medical Service), which was founded in 1928 by the Reverend John Flynn. You may recognize him as the face on one side of our $20 note. Today, there are 21 flying doctor bases around Australia covering 7.15 million square kilometres. It remains the largest and most comprehensive aeromedical emergency service in the world.
Cloncurry also played a significant role in the establishment of QANTAS. It seems everyone wants recognition for their role in the iconic airline’s success story. In these parts, it’s said that Qantas was conceived in Winton, born in Cloncurry and grew up in Longreach! The original QANTAS hangar in still in use today at the Cloncurry airport and proudly displays the “Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service” sign above the hanger door.
The rain prevented us exploring too much in and around Cloncurry. A huge rodeo and stockman’s challenge brought a flurry of activity to the town but we decided we’d keep away from the mud and aroma of concentrated cow poo! When the rain finally stopped, we headed 55km back towards Mt Isa for a day trip to the abandoned town of Mary Kathleen. What a fascinating place!
The story of Mary Kathleen started with two prospectors discovering uranium in 1954 near the area that later became the township. They promptly sold their exploration rights to Rio Tinto, who established an open cut pit soon afterwards. Between 1956 – 58 the company funded the design and construction of a large, well resourced town for the mine’s workforce. It was called Mary Kathleen, named after one of the prospector’s wives who had died just prior to the discovery. It had a post office, banks, open air cinema, churches, fire station, Olympic pool, tennis courts, BMX park, pub, library, medical centre, primary school, community centre, bowling green, golf course, arts centre, restaurant, specialty shops and more! All the 220 or so houses were built to the same specifications so it looked a bit like a toy town. By 1961, Mary Kathleen had a population of just under 1000. However, by 1963, the happy workers had been so busy, they met the supply contract with the UK Atomic Energy Authority early and the mine closed. It re-opened in 1974 when new contracts with USA, Japanese and German power companies were signed. When those contracts were fulfilled, the mine closed permanently in 1982. Bizarrely, a year or so later, the whole town was ‘sold off’ in what is still thought to be Australia’s biggest auction. Most of the buildings were ‘demountables’ so relocating all the houses and buildings did not prove too difficult. Most ended up in other local towns such as Cloncurry where the peculiar architectural style of the Mary Kathleen houses is evident throughout the streets. Although some refer to it as a ghost town, it had a very different feel to the others we’ve visited on this trip. None of the buildings remain, however, the streets and concrete slabs are still there, as are the tennis courts and swimming pool shell. It’s incredibly interesting to walk around and imagine the activity and vibrancy of the place, which past residents remember with much fondness. Unsurprisingly, the ‘rehabilitation’ of the mine site was heralded as ‘top notch’ at the time but has since proven to have been anything but. Radioactive seepage has been extensive, including into local drainage systems and has caused widespread destruction of the native vegetation. Despite this (and a State ban on uranium mining since 1989), the QLD government is seriously considering re-opening the site.
Photos left to right
Mt Isa skyline
Mt Isa standard equipment
rainy day in Cloncurry - we emptied 4 or 5 of the white buckets...that's about 80-100 litres of water that had poured off our awning in a few hours!
Couch potatoes - enjoying some down time on a rainy day in Cloncurry
the original QANTAS hangar in Cloncurry
the rain ambulance that serviced the Cloncurry region until 1971
old medical cart - Cloncurry
Old Furphy water cart - Cloncurry museum
The entrance to Mary Kathleen
Cafe foundations at Mary Kathleen
old civic building floor - Mary Kathleen
at the Mary Kathleen mine site
the swimming pool at Mary Kathleen - Michael's doing a bomb while Gemmy waits to dive in for the 50m sprint!!
roadhouse sign heading north to Normanton