If you’re thinking of visiting Mount Isa and going on one of the Mt Isa mine tours, but not sure what to expect, then this guide is for you.
We weren’t going down 1.9 kilometres like the real miners do just across town at the real Mount Isa mine. We were just going down a small portion of that in the fake mine.
The fake mine is an exact replica of what the working mines look like and was created specifically for tours to keep them out of the real mines and a little safer!
Steve has worked in the mines for over 40 years extracting copper, lead and zinc; he was the perfect guide to share with us what the mining experience is like.
Because there is no light underground, and unlike the opal mines we visited in Coober Pedy, there is no bloody relief from the heat either. In fact, the further down you go, the hotter it gets thanks to the heating elements of copper.
The mines have an amazing network of floors and tunnels that can hold large machines and tractors that clear the rubble after the daily blasts that happen at 8am and 8pm. Sometimes they’re large enough for the local Irish Club to start rumbling.