Derby to Katherine

We haven't added to our blog because, we were returning to Katherine, Daly Waters over the same road and stopping at the same places as we did on the way to Broome.
Next stop is Cape Crawford situated in the Gulf country at the intersection of the Carpentaria and Tablelands Highway. Home of the Heartbreak Hotel and the Lost City which covers 8 square kilometres and is dotted with towering sandstone formations, which remind observers of sky scrappers.

Heartbreak Hotel Cape Crawford

We then travelled to the Barkly Homestead over the tablelands highway, the scenery changed constantly however, what we will remember most of all will be the wide open plains that has to be seen to be believe as far to the left and as far to the right to the horizon not a tree nor a hill to be seen.

Barkly Homestead-Roadhouse

Next we stayed at Camooweal, which is the gateway to the Northern Territory/Queensland. Camooweal is now considered a "Suburb" of Mt Isa, such is the vastness of the region, and the huge jurisdiction of the Mount Isa City Council operates. The Barkly Highway between Mount Isa and Camooweal is considered the  longest main street in the world at 188 kilometres long.

Camooweal main street

Camooweal

Mount Isa is one of the biggest cities in the world with an area of 41,000 square kilometres and a population of around 20,000, this region is described as the Oasis in the Outback surrounded by red hills and containing an abundance of minerals, Mount Isa has been well endowed with good fortune. Set in the Selwyn Ranges within rock formations hundreds of millions of years old.
Today Mt. Isa is a booming mining city, but in 1942 the Japanese had bombed Darwin resulting in heavy casualties and  it was feared that Mount Isa could be the next target. With this in mind Mount Isa Hospital Board decided that an underground hospital was needed to care for patients and handle casualties in the event of and attack. Fortunately, it never needed to be used for the purpose for which it was built.
We visited the Irish Club for dinner one night, a very impressive club, it was advertised as the biggest Irish Club in the world.

Mount Isa Mine

Open cut Mine

Mount Isa from Lookout

Underground Hospital

Underground Hospital

Underground Hospital

Lake Moondarra, Mount Isa

Peacock at Lake Moondarra

We are now in Cloncurry in 1867 copper was discovered in the region by early pastoralist, Ernest Henry.
The Great Australia Mine still exists today as a working icon of Cloncurry's prosperous past and present.
The caravan park owner is holding a sausage sizzle tonight with donations going to charity.

Chinaman Creek Dam, Cloncurry

Broome/Derby

1st July we checked into Broome for 1 week.
We were not altogether impressed with Broome, however there were nice points of interest,
.Cable Beach at Sunset and also the Camel rides along the beach.
.Willy Creek pearls.
We went through the blockade against the gas pipe line going via Aborignal land, although approval had been given.

Cable Beach at Sunset

Driving along Cable  Beach

Camel Ride on Cable Beach at Sunset

8th July we arrived at Derby for 3 days. I have updated a photo of the "Prison Boab Tree" thought to be 1500 years old, so named because this was where Police and Prisoners rested during transfer to Derby.

Prison Boab Tree

We went on another flight tour "Horizontal Falls Seaplane and Scenic Tour". The Horizontal Waterfall, Talbot Bay has a massive 11 metre tides which pound through the close walls between 2 islands creating the effect of a horizontal waterfall.
The flight also took us over the Buccaneer Archipelago, also called the Thousand Islands and
Cockatoo Island and Koolan Islands made famous by BHP mining Iron-Ore. They closed operations in 1984 and Cockatoo Island was once again open to the public.
The Chinese bought the mine and re-opened it in 1998.
A flight over Buccaneer Archipelago (thousand islands) is a must, when v isiting Australias North West.

Part of Archipelago (Thousand Islands)

Iron-Ore Mine

Mud flats

Part of the Islands

Horizontal Waterfall (it was a low tide and the water was not pouring out as much as usual)