We pulled up stumps at Cloncurry and headed west to Corella Dam and Clem Walton Reserve. We wanted to stay at the reserve so we had to go through two dummy gates, that means they looked locked but they aren't. Set up camp and spent the first day enjoying the abundant bird life as well as the rather friendly cattle that stolled through every ones camp every arvo.
On Monday we travelled about 10kms to the ghost town of Mary Kathleen. Uramium was found in 1954 by Clem Walton and Norm McConachy and the site was named for Norms wife who had passed away two weeks earlier.The town was set up for all the miners and their families with everything they would need, shops, post office, as well as a bank, churches, swimming pool, bowling club, golf course even had a cinema and of course a pub. The mine was in production from 1958 to 1963 closed and then reopened 1972 to 1982. In 1983 all the buildings and equipment was auctioned off. All that remains now is the concrete slabs the building and homes stood on. During the 12 years the mine operated it is estimated that 1200 people lived at Mary Kathleen. You can still get up to the open cut mine and can be greeted by the stunning cobalt blue lake at its base, the colour is due to the minerals leaching into the water.
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| Does not get much better |
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| Neighbours dropped in for a chat. |
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| Blue as they come |
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