Mt Isa

Mount Isa:  12 August [669 km]

We got an early start for what would be one of our longest days (and, of course, we lost another 30 minutes by travelling east).  We knew where we were going today, because we did this leg a couple of years ago:  all the straight roads looked very familiar!!  The straight which goes past the Barkly Homestead, for example, is 74 km long.

As the temperature warmed up, so did the wind across the Barkly Tableland.  Considerable care is needed when travelling east, as the wind can cause a dramatic increase in petrol consumption.  Fortunately, our wind today was a cross wind, so we had no problems getting to Mt Isa on one tank of petrol.

The Barkly Tableland is essentially flat (surprise!) although the vegetation varies from gum trees to scrub to grass as far as the eye can see. 

Crossing the Barkly Tableland is also a bit of an iconic trip, as the early drovers (such as those who moved the Durack’s stock) moved cattle through this area.  In good seasons, the Tablelands are covered with Mitchell and other grasses and this provides cattle with good feed.  There are a number of very large grazing properties on the Barkly – some are the largest grazing properties in the world.

As we neared Mt Isa, the country became quite hilly in the vicinity of the rich mineral province and we also came across more road trains carting ore from mines into Mt Isa.  After booking into our cabin, we did some washing, had a swim, had tea and then had an early night.