Cloncurry to Normanton ...

I really liked our Cloncurry van park, particularly the bathroom froggies!

The overnight storm was a bit wild.  Such very heavy rain on the canvas and then the wind! There were tide marks on the grass when we woke!

While Nick was showering, I reversed the car, then attached it to the camper trailer.

Nick chatted to one of the other campers before we checked out.  The guy travelled with two small dogs, on a motorbike.  

The dogs had a custom seat on the bike, fitted with a windshield - and wore aviator goggles when on the road!

We took the Burke Development Road to Normanton - leaving Cloncurry at 10:30am, and arriving after 3pm.

There was a quick stop at the Burke and Wills Roadhouse, before picnicking "up the road" at a basic rest area (where Mr Dog was welcome). 

The changing countryside is always interesting. At one stage we admired all the termite mounds, grouped together like headstones. 

There were nifty trees, now identified as native kapok. 

The capsule-like pods harden, then split open to release seeds attached to a fluffy cotton-like material called kapok.  Kapok was once used to stuff mattresses, pillows - and life jackets!

It was 37 degreesin Normanton, so we both had a swim in the caravan park pool.  Just lovely!

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!  

Gunpowder Rest Area to Cloncurry

We called into the tourist info centre on arrival at Mt Isa.  I was assured Lake Moondarra was a good place for dogs.  

It wasn't - cos the lake is definitely off-limits.  We had a quick drive around, then found a park for lunch.

We decided against staying in Mt Isa - though I did call in quickly to the little caravan park that had been "home" for a few months, back in 1977-ish. 

It's a workers camp now.  There was some familiarity about the rocky outcrop along the boundary.  I asked about old mining relics that had once been in a nearby creek bed but they were long gone.

After shopping, we travelled further to Cloncurry, which was much quieter.