{"id":37053,"date":"2025-07-10T14:14:17","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T04:14:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaelandpamstravels.com\/?p=37053"},"modified":"2025-07-10T14:18:48","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T04:18:48","slug":"mary-kathleen-queensland-%f0%9f%87%a6%f0%9f%87%ba-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michaelandpamstravels.com\/?p=37053","title":{"rendered":"Mary Kathleen, Queensland \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Date: 7th July 2025 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travelled: 205 kms from Julia Creek to Mary Kathleen  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visited: Mary Kathleen Mine Site  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stayed: Mary Kathleen RV Campground, Free, S20.65600, E141.75655  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sitting with our new best friends in Julia Creek they suggested a visit to Mary Kathleen. We remembered visiting the Mary Kathleen Museum<\/a> in Cloncurry in 2021. So rolling out of town leaving the ducks behind we set the GPS for what was the township of Mary Kathleen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully the Flinders Highway improves west of Julia Creek. As we approach Conclurry the country changes from flat and relatively featureless to a series of low rocky ridges. Continuing on, the roads are even better, first passing lane we\u2019ve seen in 800 kms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As we\u2019ve already had a couple of days in Cloncurry in 2021 we stop only for some discount fuel and continue west another 60 kms before turning off for Mary Kathleen<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A uranium deposit was discovered here in 1954, the site sold to Rio Tinto who contracted to supply the British Government with a uranium concentrate (yellow cake). Rio Tinto built the town suitable to house the 1,200 workers of Mary Kathleen 7 kms from the mine site. Including swimming pool, tennis courts, church and general store etc. The contract was concluded in 1963 and the site was mothballed until 1974 when a new contract was entered into to supply US and Japanese energy companies. The mine closed permanently when the ore was exhausted in 1982.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The town was expansive so there\u2019s plenty of room. Unintentional we find we have settled on a large concrete slab that once was the entry to the swimming pool. So the bikes come off and we cycle the 7 kms to the mine site. The road is a potholed mess, but surprisingly easy to navigate on our bike. We walk the last 500m which is the steepest and rockiest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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