The Hills Family of Mt Isa: December 2009

So here we are in “Sunny & Very Dusty” Mount Isa.

WE ARE HERE!!

That’s Lake Moondarra up the top right!

The company has supplied us with a nice easy care home, close to the town centre and across the road from the Hospital. In fact our front door was in line with the access door to the Sexual Health Clinic! That made for interesting viewing every now and again!!

Doreen St was not a big street (maybe 5 houses) but 80% of them were Housing Commission homes. This also ensured additional excitement from time to time. The locals are very vocal after a period of time refreshing their “hard earned thirst”!! Thankfully our house was well secured by a high fence and gate and that made me feel a little bit safer!!

Within days of arriving we did the obligatory Sight Seeing – that is possible in a normal car (most of the good stuff round here you need a 4wd to get to it!!) – we drove out the Moondarra Dam or Lake – I still have not worked out which one it is!! This dam/lake supplies the town and the mine with all its water. Below are some snippets of information taken from some websites that may be of interest.

After the lake we went up the “Lookout” to see pretty much 360 degree view of Mount Isa – and well that was it for sightseeing!!

Graham celebrated his 40th birthday a few days after arriving. It was not a big affair – all presents had been exchanged prior to us leaving Perth – but I did allow him to feast on FISH!! He got a new weber bbq and tickets to see the Wallabies get beaten by the All Blacks (as it turned out!!). I organised for both Graham and Jess to have a couple of days in Brisbane and see the game. However – this was not until September!! So he had to wait a bit!! Sorry no photos – I did not have my camera until late in the month and was using my mobile for the earlier photos.

Moondarra Dam and Surrounds

Lake Moondarra is an artificial lake on the Leichhardt River, 16 km downstream from the town of Mount Isa. It provides water supply to the town and the adjacent Mount Isa Mines (MIM) mining lease.

Construction began on the Leichardt Dam in 1956, and was completed on 6 November 1958 at a cost of £1.7 million. The dam was built for Mount Isa Mines and, at the time, was the largest water scheme in Australia financed by private enterprise.^[1] The original construction was started by Utah Construction, but Thiess Brothers completed the project.

On 11 July 1961 the dam officially became Lake Moondarra after a competition to name the dam was won by a Mount Isa local, Danny Driscoll. The aboriginal name means "plenty of rain also thunder".

The lake includes picnic areas, pontoons, a ski jump, and water sports facilities. The lake is also popular with birdwatchers, sailors and anglers, as it is stocked with barramundi and sooty grunter.

The road to Lake Moondarra splits into two just before the lake, with the left fork leading to the boating area, and the right fork leading to Transport Bay, a lookout, the dam wall and a park (Rotary Park?) at the bottom of the spillway.

Transport bay was so named because tonnes of sand was deposited on the banks of the lake by MIM trucks to create a beach. There was a shop at the top of a grassed area and change rooms with toilets and showers nearby. Another feature was a raft anchored in the bay for swimmers to rest or sunbake on. This had timber decks and was supported by 44 gallon drums welded together.

In the nineteen sixties and seventies, Lake Moondarra is a very popular recreational area, particularly in summer. (taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Moondarra)

Moondara Dam was constructed in 1957 for the purpose of town water & industrial use.
The lake's name, Moondarra, came from a public contest held at the time. It has a surface area 2375 hectares and holds 106 000ML of water at an average depth of 6 meters when full.

The lake is used for various recreational activities such as canoeing, sailing, boating, skiing, swimming, picnics, and increasingly, fishing. The lake is also the main source of freshwater for Mount Isa and a Fresh Water Lagoon was built to allow the water to naturally filter through reeds and for particles to settle out before pumping to Mount Isa.

Fishing
Fish Species available are Barramundi, Sooty Grunter, Saratoga, Alligator Gar, Fork-tailed Catfish, Jew, Archerfish, Spangled Perch & Sleepy Cod.
Lake Moondarra is the main target for fish stocking in the Mount Isa region. The MIFSG also has a fish breeding facility located at the Freshwater Lagoon adjacent to the lake. (taken from http://www.sweetwaterfishing.com.au/Moondarra.htm)

Moondarra Dam when we first arrived – it was only 35% full

A big friendly cow in the park/playground area!!! Apparently he was quite often there. Used to break through the fence. Just him – no others!!

Lake Moondarra is still a very popular place to go for the locals. There is plenty of bbq facilities and toilet blocks. Every weekend you will find sail boats or water skiers or kids on those donut things pulled by boats and plenty of people on Jet Skis. Little dinghys are popular with locals to catch a fish or two or just travel around and look at the scenery. I personally love to go and take photos – there is a variety of birds and lots of lovely flowers. Mother Nature really does have the best colour palette and at different times of the day the same spot can be seen in a variety of colours.

Jessi’s first day at School in Mount Isa.

Jess started school at the beginning of Term 2. It was full of the usual trepidation and bravado – it pretty much took her til the middle of 2009 (yes writing this way after the fact!) to settle into a routine and know who her friends are. Sadly – it has not been a smooth run for her at school here – but she has done a great job of enjoying herself none the less.

Here’s Jess in her “Happy Valley State School” uniform. She looks so young!!!

Cooper’s Got Chicken Pox!!

Not long after arriving – Poor Wee Cooper was all spotty and given that Jess had been diagnosed with Chicken Pox 3 days before leaving Perth – we knew that is what Coop had!! He is such a trouper – we had no idea he was crook or coming down with anything! So apparently he now has a natural immunisation to the Varicella Virus rather than needing a needle!!

Within days of arriving – poor wee Coop looked like this!!

Out and About in “The Isa”

We managed to get Jess into a Gymnastics Club and within a few weeks she was taking part in a ‘display’ at the local Tourist Bureau called “Outback at Isa”.

Look at those lovely pointed toes!!

These photos are of a Gym Display that Jess participated in for her gym club Leichardt Gymnastics, at the Outback at Isa Markets.

Local Wildlife!!

You all would have heard about “Cane Toads” – well here is our first brush with one! Sleeping in the retic (called Automatic Sprinkler System over here!). They really are very ugly. We disposed of this one by pouring Cooking Salt on it!! You can also use a spray bottle with a mix of Detol and Water – or my preferred option is Whack ‘em on the head with a big stick!! We have had to dispose of quite a few since getting here!

A very Yucky Ugly Cane Toad!! The first some of us had seen!!

Cooper is 1!!

On the 31st of May – just a few weeks after getting here, our Baby Cooper turned 1!! Given we were still living at supplied accommodation – I bought an ice cream cake and had a few limited affair. He was after all only 1 – he didn’t care!! He got plenty of presents to play with and (as is always the way with Cooper) had a great time.

Just some of the goodies!

Yay – Ice Cream Cake!! But this paper cup is soooo much better!

What a Happy Boy!

Silly Daddy!!

Don’t let go Emi!!! Oh – Ok then – let go!!!

Some time in January 2008 – I found it necessary to read every single page of “The Australian” newspaper. Including the Positions Vacant (or whatever it is called in the intellectual newspapers!). I came across a Position called “Emergency Services Advisor” for a mine site in Mount Isa, North West Queensland.

It immediately caught my attention. Graham had been working hard for the last 10year with WA Pol in the Emergency Management field – but as with most government departments – was not getting any recognition. The Dept would send him on Course after Course – but there came a time when Graham decided he wanted to use the skills and knowledge he had accrued over the years.

The mining industry was hard to get into; for the most part you needed AT LEAST 2yrs mine site experience. This job stated “NO Experience Necessary”. So as far as I was concerned – Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained.

Graham sent off his application and for months we had no idea what was happening. Then he has a phone interview – everyone at home had to be vewy vewy qwiet!! Are you kidding me!?? But we were! So then we waited again – then out of the blue he gets a call saying - “Can you come to Mount Isa next week for a site visit and medical?” Does this mean he had the job – No Idea?!

So off he went for a Site Visit – he was wrapped – if nothing else – what a great adventure, fabulous experience and wonderful learning curve. Did he have the job when he got back from Mount Isa – still no idea!!

It was about 2 weeks later – and he was ‘offered’ the job and told a contract is being emailed for your perusal – we hope to hear from you soon.

I am guessing you know what happened next!

So Graham tendered his resignation after 22 years with WA Pol – starting as a Cadet making tea and coffee, and then graduating from the Academy in February 1986. During his time with WA Pol – he worked in Central, Scarborough, Nedlands, Macro Task Force, Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Port Hedland, Tambellup and Forrestfield in Perth. He was a great copper, very good at his job and deserved much more credit for what he did and how he did it.

Anyone who can do the same job for 22yrs is amazing – but to be a Police Officer in the Frontline for 22yrs – INCREDIBLE. To spend that amount of time being spat on, pissed on, puked on, shat on (literally), bitten, pushed, punched, verbally abused (not always by offenders either!), threatened with a weapon on some sort, witness horrible crime scenes, handle dead bodies, be the first to arrive at fatal traffic accidents, to tell parents their child has died, to tell husbands or wives their partner has died, get caught up in the middle of a punch up or a domestic dispute and do it all with the utmost decorum and (these days) Excessive Political Correctness is nothing short of a Hero in my books.

On the other hand, he also saved lives, rescued people from sinking boats, crashed vehicles, from jumping off bridges, he has caught many an offender that was ‘locked up’, he has helped to put together all the right information to catch the bad guy, for the most part he single handedly “Served and Protected” a whole town (oh – okay it was not a big town – but still!!), he has marched in many an Anzac Parade, raised the flag at Australia Day services and Anzac services, provided a ‘shoulder’ for those in need or those just wanting to vent, he got to drive fast in cars with lights and sirens and handle a gun and handcuffs, he played with tasers and capsicum spray, he went from wearing khaki to blue and continually adding new weapons/toys to his belt, overall – it was not so bad……………….

Does he miss it? NO – he does not!

Does he love his new job? YES – he does. He is learning everyday, is appreciated in so many ways and most of has a voice and people listen when he talks. What could be better!!

So during April 2008 we got ready to leave Perth and Western Australia and journey to the other side! For Graham – this was a HUGE adventure – he has never lived anywhere other than WA – for me – it was another State/Territory to tick off the list (I only Tasmania left) of where I have lived.

We invited all our family and friends to come and wish us Goodbye at Kings Park on the Anzac weekend. It was a lovely day – we were surprised and very pleased to see some of the faces we had not seen in a while. We then went back to our home in Mount Helena for the last night. We then moved to the Mont Clare Apartments in Perth city (I can highly recommend this place – although I believe they had a guest induced fire on the first floor recently!!) for a few days and on the 2nd of May we arrived in Sunny Dusty Mount Isa!!

and here we have been ever since……………………………….