Day 55: Birthday of a star (26/07/12)

We woke to another beautiful day. The park around us was serene and peaceful, the birds had brought in reinforcements to strengthen their song, the park management kept the tv and press journalists at bay. Yes, you have guessed it, it was Joke’s birthday. It was one of the many she has had since 1957, but I am not allowed to tell you how many.

We had breakfast in peace,

Joke getting breakfast in bed. I was not allowed to show her in bed, so this is a compromise.

followed by coffee in peace, punctuated by telephone calls from excited offspring.

Our setup in Mt Isa. Miners quarters behind.

Joke receiving calls from excited offspring!

Wherever you are, you see the big 270 metre mine chimney stack

Anyhow, you get the picture. The short and the long of it was that all that peace and tranquillity was a bit too much for Joke, so she proposed we go off somewhere. No sooner said than done, we drove off to Lake Moondarra, a dam built to supply Mt Isa (or its mines (or both)) with water. The surrounds of the lake have been extensively landscaped for recreational use, and it looks very very nice.

The birthday girl at the Moondarra Dam

The birthday girl spoiling for a fight??

The impressive banks of Lake Moondarra

The flowers were out for the birthday girl

On the way home we briefly revived the idea of finding another car. But when we got to the caryard we decided that the choice of colours was a bit limited, so we gave the idea away.

Mt Isa caryard on the Moondarra road.

So instead we went and washed the car.

Notice at the carwash. We did not fit into this category.

In the evening we went to the city lookout to watch the sunset

Sunset over Mount Isa

The colour keeps getting better...

...and the lights go on in the town. Note: the town, the lights never go out at the mine. Their lightbulb bill must be enormous!

and then to what is probably Mount Isa’s only restaurant that does not have a rodeo/cowboy/miner/redneck theme: Livingstone’s. The food was excellent and the sunset view was great. After thoroughly enjoying ourselves we went home to the caravan , well satisfied with the day’s events.

Deep sunset from our window seats at Livingstone's Restaurant

The birthday girl being wined and dined