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Outback Queensland - Our few days away


Guest The Pom Queen

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Guest The Pom Queen
I will be there (In Mount Isa) in 29 days :) cannot wait.

 

Jay xxx

I'd like to say it would be nice to catch up, but I'm praying we will be long gone by then if not physically we will be mentally.

Re Isa, I could live here, it has everything you need and prices (apart from food) are not as inflated as I thought they would be, although that's probably because we are use to living in Cairns. However, make sure you buy a new car as if you have a breakdown you are looking at an average if 2/3 weeks before they can even look at it. The guy who towed Rob in owns his own place and employs 16 mechanics and is sourcing more from the UK yet they still have a 2 week waiting list to look at your car.

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I learnt today that Isa was built from migrants in the beginning

 

Can you still do the mock up mine tour? I did it I think back in 2004 and you go down underground into a purpose built tourist mine, apparently it was 'built' by retired miners and was set up as a tourist attraction. It was a very good insight, on a small scale, into under ground mining.

 

Thats no good about how long you have to wait for the car to be fixed. When will you be on your way again?

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I'd like to say it would be nice to catch up, but I'm praying we will be long gone by then if not physically we will be mentally.

Re Isa, I could live here, it has everything you need and prices (apart from food) are not as inflated as I thought they would be, although that's probably because we are use to living in Cairns. However, make sure you buy a new car as if you have a breakdown you are looking at an average if 2/3 weeks before they can even look at it. The guy who towed Rob in owns his own place and employs 16 mechanics and is sourcing more from the UK yet they still have a 2 week waiting list to look at your car.

 

Bl**dy good town, spent some time in and around the place and could easily live there.

 

Good photos, Rob.

 

Cheers, Bobj.

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Guest The Pom Queen

Good news our car will be ready for collection tomorrow lunch, thank goodness. Price will be $330 which is less than I expected, it may be high to some of you but we had been quoted by a few people at $250 for the pair and then labour and that's not in the Outback so I was thinking $500.

 

Today we headed off for a mine tour which was really interesting, well the 5 minutes I spent with them before the room started spinning, etc, I left the boys and went back to the car and called my Dr and told him I thought it was because I ran out of meds he agreed and got a prescription sent to a chemist here which I picked up.

 

In regards to the mine tour the boys loved it and learnt quite a bit. Did you know that any land you own in Australia you only own the top 6 inch, it's something my little one had asked me months ago when he was digging a huge hole hoping to strike gold in the back garden. I seriously thought you owned anything on your land. Does anyone know more about this?

 

Also found out that in the Isa mines they use Toyota utes they say they are the strongest of the cars however they only last 2 years after this time they don't bother bringing them back out of the mine they just bury them in the tunnel when they have finished.

 

Job wise they prefer women to drive the trucks as they say they have more focus.

 

In Vic in the truck cabins they have a fridge and microwave, they won't allow them up here as they say they would be filled with beer.

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Good news our car will be ready for collection tomorrow lunch, thank goodness. Price will be $330 which is less than I expected, it may be high to some of you but we had been quoted by a few people at $250 for the pair and then labour and that's not in the Outback so I was thinking $500.

 

Today we headed off for a mine tour which was really interesting, well the 5 minutes I spent with them before the room started spinning, etc, I left the boys and went back to the car and called my Dr and told him I thought it was because I ran out of meds he agreed and got a prescription sent to a chemist here which I picked up.

 

In regards to the mine tour the boys loved it and learnt quite a bit. Did you know that any land you own in Australia you only own the top 6 inch, it's something my little one had asked me months ago when he was digging a huge hole hoping to strike gold in the back garden. I seriously thought you owned anything on your land Yeh heard thi before, thats why the 'coal seam gas' (is that what its called) is causing issues.. Does anyone know more about this?

 

Also found out that in the Isa mines they use Toyota utes they say they are the strongest of the cars however they only last 2 years after this time they don't bother bringing them back out of the mine they just bury them in the tunnel when they have finished. Yep, heard this as well, they get absolutly hammered though.

 

Job wise they prefer women to drive the trucks as they say they have more focus. My cousins partner is a dump truck drive in the Mt Isa mine, they like them because they are 'softer' on the trucks and generally treat them better. Makes sense really.

 

In Vic in the truck cabins they have a fridge and microwave, they won't allow them up here as they say they would be filled with beer.

 

Was it the mock up mine you went to?

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Guest The Pom Queen
Was it the mock up mine you went to?

Yes the one they use for training the newbies. As I say I didn't manage it but the boys came back with lots of info.

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Guest The Pom Queen

Ok great news, we got our car back today, so like fools we headed straight back out on the forby tracks. We went back up to the Blue Lake which was blue today. We also found a track BobJ had recommended. We then went off roading to find some cave art and a swimming hole (umm it was a little dry, couldn't even tell if it was the right place)

 

Tomorrow we start the long drive home, we will head to Charters Towers, I think it's around 10 hours may be wrong, then from there we will drive direct to Cairns, so we should arrive home Sunday completely shattered.

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Ok great news, we got our car back today, so like fools we headed straight back out on the forby tracks. We went back up to the Blue Lake which was blue today. We also found a track BobJ had recommended. We then went off roading to find some cave art and a swimming hole (umm it was a little dry, couldn't even tell if it was the right place)

 

Tomorrow we start the long drive home, we will head to Charters Towers, I think it's around 10 hours may be wrong, then from there we will drive direct to Cairns, so we should arrive home Sunday completely shattered.

 

What was wrong with the 4wd in the end? I think I missed a few posts earlier in the week.

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Guest Ptp113
What was wrong with the 4wd in the end? I think I missed a few posts earlier in the week.

 

Bracket took out a shock I believe, Kate can confirm. My identical Pajero is broken because the mechanic is an idiot and I might be up for a replacement engine. Just what I don't need

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Guest The Pom Queen
Bracket took out a shock I believe, Kate can confirm. My identical Pajero is broken because the mechanic is an idiot and I might be up for a replacement engine. Just what I don't need

How much is a new engine? At the minute we have two back door issues, one won't open from the outside and the other the back door won't open from in or out and neither will the window and the air con has packed in. Oh well it will go in to our mechanic when we get home. We probably won't use it now until after wet season

 

What was wrong with the 4wd in the end? I think I missed a few posts earlier in the week.

 

As PTP said a bracket came off and also took out a shock, I'm not car wise so it could have been something else but they are the bits I picked up on

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Guest Ptp113
How much is a new engine? At the minute we have two back door issues, one won't open from the outside and the other the back door won't open from in or out and neither will the window and the air con has packed in. Oh well it will go in to our mechanic when we get home. We probably won't use it now until after wet season

 

 

 

As PTP said a bracket came off and also took out a shock, I'm not car wise so it could have been something else but they are the bits I picked up on

 

Bolt that holds the harmonic balancer on was overtightened and the thread stripped. Crank is possibly able to be retapped but engine out job. If so then crank check/polish and new bearings and oil pump has to be done to save re-doing it later. Big bucks!!

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