The 11 best things about summer in Mount Isa

You might have clicked on the link, thinking "Well, this will be the shortest blog ever written!" You may be right, but hear us out.

As we cruise towards the end of October, we've had our first day with a high of 40 degrees. Here at Outback at Isa, we've put our heads together and come up with not 10 but 11 (!) things that are great about the warm summer days!

# 1 You can still go fishing

The Dragon Boat races and the Lake Moondarra Fishing Classic are on this weekend!

2# It is better than feeling cold

If you have been living in Queensland for a while, you might have found that the cold weather of the southern states just don't agree with you anymore. An added bonus is that ours is a dry heat and we don't have the coastal humidity that makes you feel like you need to take a shower 2 minutes after you've just had one.

# 3 You get to be a kid again

You can pretend that you are 6 years old and run through the sprinklers without any judgement from your neighbours.

# 4 You get to live in your thongs

Almost all the restaurants in town accept them as appropriate footwear and other than socks for work wear - you are washing a lot less!

# 5 Your washing dries in about 20 minutes flat.

No we didn't time it, but it sure feels that way!

# 6 Your ice cold beverage tastes even better

#7 You can still exercise, you might just have to move it indoors.

The PCYC offers great classes (GRIT, Body Balance, Body Pump etc.) and they also have a cardio, weights and boxing room - all beautifully air conditioned.

# 8 You can swim every day

If you don't have your own pool, the Splashez Aquatic centre boasts 2 beautiful pools which you can enjoy for a small fee. Mount Isa also has a great, free water play area in the Family Fun Park.

# 9 It is known as our "wet season" so hopefully the Isa will get some rain

#10 If you sell or repair air conditioning units - business is probably great!

#11 You can plan your day trips and holidays for April-October next year.

If it is too hot for you to be outside, you can sit down in Outback at Isa's Cafe with all the brochures from our information centre and plan for the cooler months!

Well, that is our somewhat light-hearted list. If you have any other ideas, please let us know!

Birdwatching in Mount Isa

Can you identify a Painted Firetail or the Red Capped Plover? If so, you are probably a bird watcher. If not, it is never too late to get into it. In fact, the hobby has recently started to attract a new generation of enthusiasts.

To get started, you will first need to know the difference between birding, and twitching.

A twitcher is someone who will drop everything to go and see a rarity. A birder is someone who is quite happy to just watch that common Brown Honeyeater or Black Kite, and look for new behaviour.

As hobbies go, this one does not require much more than time, patience and a good bird guide. The best times of day are early in the morning or early in the evening and the more variety you have in the habitats you visit, the more you will see.

In our region, we are lucky enough to have several lovely spots, perfect for birding, birdwatching or twitching! The Outback Park at Outback at Isa is a good place to start. Grab a coffee from the Café, a copy of the bird watching guide from the visitor desk and make yourself comfortable in one of the many shaded areas available in the park.

Otherwise, you can head to Lake Moondarra, camp out next to the Georgina river in Camooweal, head to Mary Kathleen, Chinaman Creek or Rigby Falls.

If you are a seasoned bird watcher, you might even be able to spot the rarest two grasswrens in our region. To find the Kalkadoon Grasswren, try Mica Creek and the surrounding area. Drive 6km South from the CBD on the Dajarra Road and head up the hills. The Carpentaria Grasswren might be found 61km West from Mount Isa towards Camooweal. Travel 18km North along McNamara’s Road, stop at the cairn and make sure you record your findings in the visitor book.

Good luck and enjoy!