Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 6 . QUEENSLAND & THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
By Bus McCafferty’s (& 13 14 99 in Australia) and Greyhound Pioneer
(& 13 20 30 in Australia, or 07/3258 1800) both service Mt. Isa from Townsville.
The trip takes about 12 hours and costs A$119 (US$77) one-way.
By Plane Qantas (& 13 13 13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au) serves Mt.
Isa from Brisbane. Macair (book through Qantas) flies to Mt. Isa from Cairns
and Townsville.
VISITOR INFORMATION Mt. Isa Tourist Information Centre is at the
Riversleigh Fossil Museum, 19 Marian St., Mt. Isa, QLD 4825 (& 1300 659 660
in Australia, or 07/4749 1555; fax 07/4743 6296; www.riversleigh.qld.gov.au).
GETTING AROUND Car hire companies Avis (& 07/4743 3733) and
Budget (&13 27 27 or 07/4725 2344) both have offices in Mt. Isa.
THE TOP ATTRACTIONS
Lawn Hill National Park Sheer red cliff walls, deep flowing green water,
walking tracks, and Aboriginal sites are the features of this Outback oasis. World
Heritage–listed Riversleigh is part of Lawn Hill’s fossil section. Campbells
Tours and Travel (& 1800 242 329 in Australia, or 07/4743 2006) has a 3-day
tour from Mt. Isa for A$550 (US$358) adult, A$330 (US$215) children. You
stay at a permanent camp under the paperbark trees at Gregory River with hot
and cold showers and a great swimming and recreation area equipped with
canoes. The guided tour takes you to Riversleigh’s fossil fields the first day, followed
by a full day in the national park bushwalking, visiting Aboriginal rock
art, canoeing Lawn Hill Creek, and swimming in the natural spa. On the third
day there’s a visit to the limestone grottos and time for swimming, canoeing, or
fishing before heading back to Mt. Isa.
About 500km (312 miles) northwest of Mt. Isa.
Mt. Isa Mine Tours Campbells Tours runs a 2-hour tour of the surface of the
mine, which takes in open cut mines, shafts, smelters, and workshops. You don’t
get off the bus but it is quite interesting anyway.
& 1800/242 329 in Australia, or 07/4743 2006. A$22 (US$14) adults, half price for children. Tours run daily
except Sun. Bookings essential.
Riversleigh Fossil Centre This interpretive center gives insight into life in the
Riversleigh region some 25 million years ago when dinosaurs roamed. The fossil
fields have given up some of their secrets, and dioramas re-create some of the
ancient animal life, such as Obdurodon, an ancestral platypus, and the wonderfully
named Thingadonton. In the fossil treatment laboratory, you can watch as fossils
come to light for the first time in millions of years as a laboratory technician and
palaeontologist carry out preparatory work on the fossils gathered from the Riversleigh
site. Tours to this section are held every day on the hour and include a stepby-step
explanation. It’s a “must-see” for visitors to the center.
19 Marian St. & 07/4749 1555. Fax 07/4743 6296. www.riversleigh.qld.gov.au. A$5 (US$3.25) adults, A$3
(US$1.95) seniors and children ages 5–17.
Royal Flying Doctor Base A 15-minute movie shows “a day in the life” of
a flying doctor who covers 1.3 sq. km (500,000 sq. miles) of northwest Queensland.
There’s also a small museum and display area and a souvenir shop, and picnic
and barbecue facilities are available in the shady gardens.
11 Barkley Hwy., Mt. Isa. & 07/4743 2800. www.flyingdoctorqueensland.net. A$2.50 (US$1.65) adults, A50¢
(US33¢) children. Mon–Fri. 8:30am–4:30pm. Closed weekends, public holidays, and Queensland school holidays.