Outback Adventures in Mt Isa

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The day was finally here. After months of planning, cancelled flights, border closures and the uncertainty of covid, I was at the airport, mask on my face and ready to board a plane for the first time in 14 months! After three flights via Brisbane and Townsville, I arrived in Mt Isa just before sunset. I stepped off the plane onto the traditional land of the Kalkadoon people, the traditional owners of the land and known as the elite of the Aboriginal warriors of Queensland.

Mt Isa isn't a typical tourist destination. The town was built around the mining boom in 1924 and has thrived ever since. Located nine hours inland from Townsville, it's a tiny dot on the map in north-west Queensland, far from the coast and other major cities. Situated on the banks of the Leichhardt River, many groups move into the region from neighbouring communities. These include Dajarra, Camooweal, Boulia, and across the Northern Territory border, including Alpurrurulam (Lake Nash) and Tennant Creek. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 23.4% of the population of roughly 18,000 people.

I had ventured to Mt Isa as part of an opportunity to complete a placement with Child Safety through my university. I would be working in the Assessment and Investigation department, assisting with notifications. From the Mt Isa Child Safety centre, they service surrounding areas, including Mornington Island, Doomadgee, Normanton, Eastern Creek, Boulia, Cloncurry. Some of these are closed and dry communities, living in their traditional ways as much as possible.

The pace of life is different; the sun is blistering, and at times, it can feel like you are in another country. Some would argue this is "real" Australia, the outback, people connecting to their land, and culture. However, living alongside is a bustling mining town, FIFO workers and the city overshadowed by the smoke of the mine filling the sky.

One thing I loved about my work was talking to the cultural practice advisors. These are community Aunties and Uncles hired by the government to connect the community and us. They understand the lingo; they know all the families and have relationships with elders and community leaders. Although it's safe enough to go out without one, our inquiries were much more likely to gain traction if they were with us. I started to pick up some of the language intricacies, including "yarn" instead of chat, "bub" instead of baby, and "Sorry Business" instead of a funeral. It didn't take long for me to start picking up on this and using these words too!

There is no public transport in Mt, most people drive Utes or 4x4's suitable for the bush. I had the pleasure of walking everywhere, including a 30-minute walk to work and back every day. The mine is very much in the centre of Mt Isa, and there is a constant stream of smoke coming out from the chimneys. A few Sunday mornings, I got abruptly woken by the rumblings of the blasting which could easily be mistaken for earthquakes. One thing I loved about walking was seeing all the street art around Mt Isa. Inspiring quotes about change, intricate paintings of animals and cool statues made out of wires. Every morning, I stopped for a coffee at Bambino cafe, newly renovated, with a minimalist, fresh look. This place would fit perfectly down Manly Corso and attracts a young crowd.

I took several trips to Cloncurry, the neighbouring town, a 1.5-hour drive from Mt Isa. We set-up the remote satellite phone as there is no signal along the highway, and you don't want to get caught out in the outback! The road is pretty quiet, and there are some beautiful sunsets. Driving at night is not advised as loose cows roam the road as well as kangaroos! Road trains get priority at all times of the day, and any other vehicles are required to veer off to the side of the road, which isn't always the safest!

I enjoyed a couple of Coronas after work with the team at the Mt Isa hotel, a popular hotspot after work. We sat out on the balcony and enjoyed the live country music playing. There isn't much to do at weekends in Mt Isa if you're not out in the bush or partying with friends. However, I enjoyed visiting a coffee shop and utilising the February $10 special on cinema tickets to see the Aboriginal film High Ground.

The work in child safety definitely has its challenges. Many people don't have a phone or change numbers regularly, housing is very transient and makes it hard to locate people. We could be looking for someone for two weeks, multiple addresses but spot them randomly one day crossing the road! Everyone knows everyone, which makes it easy to hide, but I got used to visiting some of the key "hot spots" and started to understand the importance of breaking up the cycle and offering children new opportunities.

I drove the short distance up to the Mount Isa lookout, which has a 360-degree view of Mt Isa. The entire city can be seen from here, with a ring of rolling hills creating a border around the edge. Half-way through my time in Mt Isa, it had been a consistent 39 degrees every day and there hadn't been a drop of rain. On Friday after work, I visited Lake Moondarra with Laura and Angela from work, roughly 20 minutes out from town. We saw two giant kangaroos bouncing through the bushes and drove round to the dam. We strolled across the dam, looking down on the lake from one side and across the green plains from the other. We took some camping chairs, cold cans of Malibu and coke and sat chatting until it got dark. A couple of tame peacocks approached us with their long colourful feathers, and there was always a cricket or two jumping around by our ankles.

Finally, the rain came! I walked back from work with a box overflowing with Margarita ingredients and my weekly shopping. All stores are closed on Sunday so you have to be extra organised! In the distance, above my apartment, a huge thunderstorm was brewing. The sky was a dark grey purple colour, and I could see the lightning striking up ahead. Lucky a friend drove past, saw me struggling with all my shopping and gave me a lift!! One thing I've seen since being here is how much people help each other. Many people have moved to Mt Isa on their own, and work friends become your family. Everyone helps each other out, making sure we all get home and hosting social events for everyone to enjoy. The generosity and kindness of the people have made me feel touched and minimised any feelings of loneliness.

After another busy week in the office and out and about meeting people in the community, we planned a relaxing Friday night trip. Angela, Laura and I visited the abandoned Sybella granite mine on the way to Cloncurry. In the '80s, some ambitious miners dug up large amounts of granite. However, due to the weight and location, it's not feasible to move them. The remains are left glistening in the sun, a kitchen renovators dream! As well as the granite, there is a wide variety of naturally sculpted boulders balancing on each other. We watched the sunset had some fun in the four-wheel-drive, splashing through puddles and along bumpy pathways.

I booked my ticket for the St Patrick's day horse races. Organised events like these are popular in Mt Isa, and a group from work got together for some pre-drinks and a good old crusty traditional Aussie cob loaf. It was a sweltering day, and we were suffering sitting out in the heat. Luckily, we snuck into the member's area at the horse races and spent the rest of the day from inside. Our group ended up at Red Earth for the first night of dancing in over nearly a year!! We danced to country songs, sang and drank a deadly mix of tequila and Redbull called Bull Riders!

It was harmony day in the office, so everyone brought a dish to represent their culture. My favourites were the Puftaloons fried scones, cabbage stew, sausage and coconut curry with rice! The aboriginal team members, Shaun and Auntie Yvonne shared stories of their mob and bush hunting, catching wild pig, kangaroo and fishing. Originally, Puftaloons would be cooked in a hunted animal's fat, so they laughed about the convenience of oil in a bottle! Shaun told me about a kangaroo tail curry they make. He laughed as I told him I don't think that would go down in Sydney very well with my friends if I hosted a dinner party.

Sorry Business is a very special part of the Mt Isa community. It is an important time of mourning that involves responsibilities and obligations to attend funerals within the community to ensure that a person's spirit is properly put to rest. For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, not participating in Sorry Business may also be viewed by an individual's relatives or community as not valuing family. During Sorry Business, the communities close down out of respect, and Child Safety does not conduct any work during this time.

My final weekend in Mt Isa was jam-packed with socialising. We finished the week off with a wind-down drink in the office, celebrating the wins of the week. Then, Angela, Laura and I jumped in the Ute and left Mt Isa to stay in the old mining town, Mary Kathleen. This isn't your typical campsite, and the spots are on the old concrete bases of old shops in this forgotten town. After a quick drive around the old mining town, we found an area away from the herd of cows. We were proper outback bush camping, with no toilet or facilities. We pitched up before sunset on the rusty coloured sand area. A rogue cow in the night decided to come pretty close to camp, making some strange sounds! The most incredible part of the night was sleeping in the swag, with the roof open and looking up at the stars. The peacefulness was short-lived before a downpour came, but luckily, it didn't last long. We woke up at sunrise the next day, packed up camp before it got too hot and headed down the dirt track road to the old mine itself.

A quadruple 90's birthday party was Saturday nights event. They decorated the garage, set the pool table up and got the speaker pumping some old tunes. People were doing jager shots, I was making margaritas, and there were lots of dancing and pool competitions. The party ended rather abruptly as we were approached by two police cars and stern officers telling us to turn down the music. It was like something out of a film, and rather funny as we were a group of government workers! We weren't going to let that stop us, so a few of us decided to migrate to another house in a more suburban part of town and continued to party and sing along to YouTube videos until 3.00 am!

The rains continued (like the rest of Australia), and Emma and I had to turn back half-way into our six-hour drive towards Hughenden. Flood warnings had started appearing, and with my flight, we didn't want to risk getting caught out and not make it back to Mt Isa on time in two days.

As I sit here and finish this blog on my penultimate night, I reflect on what an amazing time I've had in Mt Isa. One last day in the office left before my farewell dinner with the incredible team at work. We've supported each other through many chaotic moments, but most of all shared many laughs and I will be missing the daily MAFS updates over a morning coffee. Without them, my experience in Mt Isa wouldn't have been half as good!

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