After about 1,600 km from Darwin in the direction of Cairns the city of Mount Isa pops up. With a population just above 20,000 it’s rather small, but its combined lead, silver, copper and zinc mine is one of the worlds most productive ones, making Mt. Isa one of Australia’s most important outback cities.
There is a 2.5 h guided tour through a mine (not the real one but one build specifically for the tours with original machinery — costs about 12 million AUD) that is worth it’s price.
A few kilometers behind Mt Isa, before Cloncurry, there’s gorgeous camping spot at Lake Corella.
An additional 1,100 km further down the highway (and some gravel roads), in Cairns, I went for a 3 days / 2 nights (actually 4 days / 3 nights) liveaboard diving trip for the first time of my life. What an exciting experience.