We decide to give the ute a rest for the day , and jump on the bikes again , heading down the street to the Telstra Shop to price some internet - we will have more chance of actually getting some internet if we change over - they know how to charge !!!
Confused , we left and headed back to Outback at Isa - at the information centre - and got two tickets that give us admission to the mining museum section and the Riversleigh Fossil section - $20 each !!
We went into the Outback at Isa mining museum section first - turned out to be a wise decision - there is information about all the mining and the formation of Mt Isa township . It was almost found by accident , people were out looking for areas suitable to mine , but couldn't quite get it , until one gentleman found an area and sent some ore for testing . It returned with very positive results - high grade ore containing lead , and so it all started , miners came from everywhere to be a part of the action , mining leases were staked , companies formed and a lot of hard work done . They originally carted the ore in hessian bags by horses & camels - must have been pretty hard work !!!
There is a natural copper ore nugget - it weighs 3.5 tonne and wouldn't be much longer than 1 metre .
There are exhibits of minerals and copper bearing rock , also lead bearing rock - quite a display .
After over an hour of wandering & reading , we headed outside to the Outback Park Botanic Section, where there are specimens of outback plants - acacias , grevilleas , bloodwood trees , pandanus and cabbage palms , there was also a cluster fig and Sturts Desert Rose .
Sturts Desert Rose
Cats Tail Bush
Acaia
Cluster Fig- the fruit grows off the trunk and is edible when it turns red.
The park has seen better days , also affected by the lack of rain in recent years , and needs some work .
There was also a bower birds bower in some spinifex grass , beside one of the walking tracks - it obviously liked green and silver .
We had finished the park section and went back inside to sit for a few minutes . We headed out the front to the picnic tables to have some lunch before tackling the Riversleigh Fossil Section .
Entering this section , we had the choice to go straight in to the diorama or watch a video - the video won out , we found some seats and sat down , noticing immediately how cool it was . The video was on constant play , so wherever you start watching it , you get to see the bits you missed soon after .
We wandered out into the diorama , where they have recreated the animals they have found fossils of - there were some weird animals back then !! The temperature hadn't changed , we had goose bumps!!! but we kept looking - there was a laboratory where they do some of the fine work on the fossils - in complete contrast to how they remove them out in the field - using explosives - apparently it causes less damage than sledge hammers & crowbars .
There were some big rocks with various fossils in them , the most impressive would be the one from " big bird " - it was of it's drumstick ( between ankle & knee ) , there is a bullocks femur beside it for comparison !! - this was definitely one damn big bird !!!!
There is the platypus skull above , various fossils of kangaroo , bat , rat & snakes bones , there was also one of a hip , femur and spine section of the big bird as well .
The temperature finally got to us and we left to get outside to warm up . Back to the bikes , we headed down to the shopping area again , to check at the Post Office . It is two lane traffic and there is a road going off to the left - all the traffic ( 2 cars ) are in the right lane , next minute , the ute drives straight across in front of me , missing by about a foot - a little bit too close for comfort !! Back further down the road , we turned into another street near the shopping centre to have another car turn straight in front of Lyn , also a little too close for comfort !! Time to get out of there , we rode down past the hospital - a reasonably new one by the look - and turned , then rode around to the swimming centre , through the park , then back to the RV - about 10 kms for the day .
We watched as people came & set up , and neighbours having interesting conversations with their son .
Time for cheese & bickies and a beer !!!
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