It's a long way to travel without getting an idea of what the town is all about; Fletch catches up with local Brett from Mt Isa Mining Supplies who gives an insight, not on what's above ground but more about what's underground. Here are some interesting facts, they are mining 1,980 metres or nearly 2kms below ground, that's 26 levels down and counting. Underground there is 1,700 km of road and 1,000 km of railway. Mt Isa is recognised as one of the top 10 mining producers in the world with Copper, Silver, Lead and Zinc all sourced from this very remote site.
Another fascinating aspect of the outback is the road trains, and Fletch stops road train driver for a chat. Steve tells us about his 2014 Kenworth 18 speed Road Ranger powered by a 600HP diesel engine, and all that power is needed to pull the 135-tonne payload in the 4 trailers that total 53 metres in length, with 18 axles and 70 tyres.
Finally, Fletch finds a Rod Rat enthusiast Ricky and talks about his two 1930 Model A Coupe & Tudor that are in various stages of restoration.
Mt Isa is full of surprises and well worth a stopover when you're next out that way.
