Mount Isa Rodeo!

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After such a long stretch of driving it was nice to finally reach some form of civilisation. (This is a phrase rather than our actual feelings on Australia as a civilised country!) The town actually had shops and people bussling around and we headed to the tourist centre to take advantage of the ammenities and ask a few questions. We checked out some prices of tourist activities but once again opted for the free option and drove to the nearby lake of Moondarra. The weather was great for what was supposed to be winter time and we spent much of the afternoon enjoying a bbq and some quality play time in the sunshine.

As the day drew to a close we headed further east to a town called Cloncurry and stopped in a nearby rest stop about 60km outside of Mount Isa. As usual we set to work setting up camp, collecting firewood and preparing dinner. We had become a popular attraction in our van and were soon surrounded by happy, friendly campers offering advice and generally probing us with random travelling questions. Although this was slightly annoying we did learn some rather valuable information: "The Mount Isa Rodeo" was about to begin and the Bull Ring was the following night!

After some discussion, Ollie and Dale convinced Mark it was worth staying for and we headed back to Mount Isa. After some shopping we spent the remainder of the day back at Lake Moondarra. By the evening we were all very excited and decided to dress in our best rodeo gear. Dale had already purchased some miscellaneous items and we all tried our best although we seemed to be wearing the same attire we had worn to The Raffles Hotel only 2 weeks previously!

When we arrived at the Rodeo we found some excellent seats in the middle of the Bull Pit and patiently awaited the evenings entertainment. Dinner was fish and chips followed by a few cold beers and then the evening began! The bulls were crazy and we got to see cowboys thrown all over the pit. It was a great thing to behold but we were unfortunate in that the ambulance was only called upon twice!

Dale was the designated driver and after the rodeo had finished for the evening we headed back to the rest stop from the previous night as it was dark and we knew where we were going! On the way home Mark had a great idea that the supermarket may still be open and directed Dale in the general direction. However, on the way we passed through an amber light at a junction. This was followed by a mass of blue and red lights appearing from behind us. It tuned out we were being pulled over. Dale was then breathalised and told to produce his licence. After his results were clean and his background checked out, he was a given a fine for the fee of $225 and told to drive on safely. The remaining part of our journey was spent discussing what a joke it was to be fined for going through an amber light when the policeman had outright told us that it wasn't even an illegal manouvere!

It was an baffling end to an otherwise great night!

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Photos

Mount Isa rodeo
How well we blend in!