Town with Backdrop

A clearer view of town - that doesn't look like a rich fruit-cake slice. This view, also from lookout hill shows the highway through the centre of town. The road turns north (right) just after crossing the Leichardt river before the mine, and continues on for many kilometres into the territory next door.

The Crucible

If you look closely you'll see a small orange glowing spot of light near the middle of the shot. That is a pot containing 99% pure liquid copper emptying its contents into moulds for being formed into ingots. The other glowing spots are mercury lamps. This is where all the flash stuff happens, and the pure stuff comes out. You can see grey blocks on the back of a truck on the right, copper anode they call it, hanging like clothes on a line. With some help I'll be able to get a much closer shot to post for you soon so you can really see what it looks like. Don't ask how I'm making this happen.

fuzzy isa

This photo comes from the lookout hill looking out (duh) towards the mine. It was purely by accident that this one happened and it was one of the best shots of the lot. The sunsets out here are great, and the red/orange rock is made for setting suns.

Old and New

History records that In 1923 prospector John Campbell Miles discovered lead-zinc ore on this fore hill and named the find Mount Isa. I'm sure the original hill is long gone and sits in pipes the world over. History also records that in 2007 I saw Mount Isa from a bus.
The grey tailings pile in the background is quite recent and the tree more recent still. One day something or someone will reclaim this land for different purposes. How history records that event will be another story told by some one else.

Xstrata mine tour

This morning I took a bus tour of the Xstrata mining complex here in Mt Isa. The tour only allowed us to travel in buses with no exiting from the bus due to workplace health and safety issues for visitors. However, we got a good view of the surface operations. This photo is of the lead smelting stack, the largest stack on the site. I'm hoping to go underground at some stage to see what it's really like digging rock from the coal face. Till then, I'll post some more photos from the surface tour.

Lawn Bowls

The view from the green on Eastern Suburbs Bowls Club Mt Isa. Having bowled only once before in Biloela, I had a rough idea of what to expect when I went along for an evening. My bowling was ordinary, but much fun was had by all and sundry as we spent a relaxing evening rolling oddly weighted balls in strange arcs along grass. And the view was remarkable too.

Driving range

The driving range at Mount Isa Golf Club. The beautiful clouds, horizon and green perspective all combine to make a nice shot here. I hit about 100 balls down there, maybe 50 went in the right direction.

Hello World

The obligatory hello world

Welcome to a blog by an outback rover

Posts to come