Cloncurry ...

We really liked the Cloncurry vibe, extending our overnight stay to two nights for better appreciation.

It was 22 degrees at 8:30am when we did a walk around the town.  We liked the pretty hats on local houses! It was much hotter by the time we finished - great for drying washing.

We had lunch at Chinaman Creek Dam, which was a lovely spot.  It was still quite hot, so we decided to go for a longer drive in air conditioning.

When driving from Mt Isa the previous day, we had turned in to the Mary Kathleen site but the road to the mine was a no-go for the camper trailer - so we back-tracked 70km after lunch.

In the mid to late 1900’s, Mary Kathleen was home to thousands.  Most worked at Mary Kathleen Mine. 

Residents enjoyed a bustling village community with a school, Olympic-size pool, open-air cinema, golf course, two churches and a hospital.  The town closed in 1982.  

Everything was sold at auction - houses, contents, mining equipment ...

The track out to the former uranium mine was so very rough.  I braced myself firmly into the seat to prevent jarring to my back.

There were very interesting trees along the way. I've since identified them as Calotrope, listed on Weeds Australia.

Calotrope is thought to have come into Australia during one of Queensland's gold rushes in late the 1800s / early 1900s.

Bandit was kept on a short leash as we walked around.  He is generally keen for a dip but the water is unsafe / radioactive.

We viewed the sunset from a nifty lookout at Cloncurry and then beat the incoming storm back to camp - so rescued the washing before rain and wind hit. 

The storm was pretty impressive!