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Mount Isa’s main feature is somewhat unusual for the centre of a city and certainly conspicuous. It is a huge mine owned and operated by Xstrata and is one of the largest producers of copper ore in Australia. Situated around 550 miles from Townsville on the Queensland coast Mount Isa has been referred to as the Oasis of the Outback. I noticed the thousands of acres of green pastureland on the journey from Charters Towers but this was very deceptive. The country I saw is normally arid, brown sun-scorched ground and was only green because of the recent rains and flooding. Many Australians have never seen it in this present state. Situated around 550 miles from Townsville on the Queensland coast Mount Isa has been referred to as the Oasis of the Outback. I noticed the thousands of acres of green pastureland on the journey from Charters Towers but this was very deceptive. The country I saw is normally arid, brown sun-scorched...

Charters Towers was a small gold mining town established in the mid-1800’s. The mines all closed down when the seams ran out in the early 20th century but many of the buildings have been lovingly preserved and restored where necessary. Not surprisingly there is a mining museum and a number of tourist attractions centred around those times. Included in these is the Stock Exchange established to curtail mining stock scams that flourished for a time, and there are a number of interesting stories about prospectors, mine claims and claim jumping. The town was wealthy and boasted good educational services, including its own School of Mines, gas street lighting in 1888, and its own medical facilities. In its heyday it became known as “The World”. I started my second day here running half way around “The World”, and that before breakfast! My fitness level is woeful and I need to shape up. I had plenty of time to take in this interesting period...

Before leaving Queensland’s Gold Coast I visited several places where forest walks are common. There is nothing common however about the scenery and I experienced some beautiful views around Springbrook National Park and glimpsed some of Australia’s wild-life that I had not previously seen. This included a Lace Monitor, a type of lizard, which was crossing the road as I returned to base. The reptile was over 3ft long and had green bands. I have never seen a lizard this size before and at first it seemed almost as big as the car. I thought for a moment it would mistake Bridget for another monitor and either attack her or try to mate! I had arranged to meet some members of the Queensland Sprite Car Club, based in Brisbane, on the way through the area and join them at a ‘Barbie’. I was amazed when around 25 people turned up at very short notice just a couple of days after Christmas...

Leaving the Sydney suburb of Ashfield early in the morning I had hoped to miss the rush of traffic to the city, but to no avail as there was an accident holding up all the early commuters on the highway. As we inched towards the junction with the main freeway towards Brisbane I became aware of someone calling out from another vehicle. It was to be the first of many people interested in Bridget as the rubber-nosed Midget is a rarity in Australia. It has also become clear that the Australians are extremely supportive of individuals attempting unusual tasks and Bridget’s bumper stickers declaring “Round the World Drive” are capturing attention. The voice calling out belonged to Ade Kass, a fellow Brit from the UK. He’s a lovely chap, but with the unfortunate condition of being a Liverpool football supporter. He noted the web-site address and contacted us again later that day. So if any of you out there spots Bridget...

Instead of my usual diary update I want to share a seasonal experience that has happened during my visit to Australia’s Gold Coast. It started when I received a message via our Bridget the Midget website, that said "I have just been reading in the local press about your adventure and may be able to help you." Ah, I thought, another willing MG-head offering me possible solutions to Bridget’s mechanical problems, but they don’t know that I have already resolved them. I will call this chap and have a chat and thank him for his trouble. I tried calling the number he had left for me but there was no answer so I decided to leave it to later as I needed to do a couple of tasks and then get ready to go out for the evening. Gary and Anita Lock, who have so kindly allowed me to stay in their home, are taking me out for dinner this evening so I...