Australia Up Close
Australia'S Outback Yields Mother Lode of Historical Lore
By DARREN McLEAN
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魅力あふれる豪内陸部
キーボード奏者でもある筆者は先月、内陸の都市マウンドアイザのクラブから演奏を頼まれました。内陸部を訪れるのは初めての経験。地下1キロまでもぐる鉱山の観光ツアーに参加したり、厳しい自然環境を経験したりと、貴重な時間を過ごすことができました。
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I received my first opportunity to see Australia's rugged outback last
month, when I was invited to perform at the Carpentaria Buffallo Club in Mount
Isa. I packed my swag and my keyboard and flew into Australia's red center
with my singing partner, Susannah, for a two-week working holiday.
Mt. Isa is located in western Queensland in a dry, rocky region known as the
Barkly Tablelands. The township of Mt. Isa began to flourish early this
century after John Campbell Miles, a mining engineer, stumbled across
rich mineral deposits in the area.
Since Miles' discovery, in 1923, mining has fueled the growth of this
thriving outback town, which grew in population to 24,000 people and became
the world's biggest single producer of silver and lead and one of the top 10
producers of copper and zinc.
I was surprised to find that Mt. Isa is in fact the world's "largest" city,
with a main road stretching 188 kilometers to the west, and there isn't even a
high-rise in sight!
Between our nightly performances at the Buffalo Club, Susannah and I managed
to escape from town to see some amazing sights, and there is only one way to
see Australia's outback — in a four-wheel drive.
We headed east towards Cloncurry, the nearest township. Halfway along our
journey we turned off the bitumen onto a dusty dirt track to find the
abandoned township of Mary Kathleen, or Mary K, as it is known to the
locals.
In 1954 a large body of uranium was found at Mary K by a group of eight
pioneers. The town immediately erupted into a thriving mining community,
but 30 years later, in 1984, the large mine suddenly ceased all
operations, and the town was closed and auctioned off.
The few remnants remaining in the barren ghost town include a stone
pond and fountain, and the vinyl floor of the once very busy Mary K pub.
The large abandoned open-cut mine just outside the township is one of the
most impres
sive sights in the Mt. Isa region.
The Riversleigh Fossil Center is the major tourist attraction in Mt. Isa. It
houses a museum of fossils and artifacts that were discovered in the
Riversleigh region, north of Mt. Isa, after being preserved for millions of
years. The fossils provide scientific proof that around 40 million years
ago, before the Aboriginals roamed the arid outback, the Mt. Isa region
was a lush tropical rain forest teeming with amazing creatures such as
flesh-eating kangaroos and massive, flightless birds.
The center also runs daily underground tours into the Mt. Isa mine. I jumped
at the opportunity to attend.
After descending one km below the surface in a massive elevator that
holds 184 people, we reached the bottom of the mine and drove through an
endless array of underground tunnels to the heart of the mining operations.
The underground tunnels total 950 km in length and spiral down to a depth of
1.8 kilometers, where there are rich copper deposits.
We were then taken by Dave Colvin, a miner with 30 years' underground
experience, to the lead, silver and zinc mines. Here we saw massive
remote-controlled loaders scoop 10 tons of ore into buckets and drop
them down shafts to a collection point, from where the ore was later
lifted to the surface and refined. It was truly breathtaking to see the
extent of the underground operations and the reason behind Mt. Isa's growth.
For thousands of years before white settlement in Australia, the Kalkadoon
Aboriginal tribe lived from the land and lakes surrounding the Mt. Isa
region. The Kalkadoon people were not interested in mining the land's wealth.
Instead, they lived primitive lives, hunting native animals such as the
kangaroo, and gathering nuts and berries.
The fiercely independent Aboriginals clashed with white pastoralists
when they started exploring the area in the late 19th century. Several battles
took place on the desolate plains around Mt. Isa, from which the Kalkadoon
tribe never recovered. Several Aboriginal rock paintings scattered around
the area are the only remnants of the original tribe.
After two weeks in the desolate outback I was pleased to return to my
coastal home, but I brought back with me some amazing memories of
Australia's vast inland. I highly recommend a visit to Mt. Isa if you would
like to see some fascinating sights, meet the friendly locals and experience
the true heart of outback Australia.
Shukan ST: Sept. 10, 1999
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