They are mining lead and copper in Mt Isa. Thre are supermarkets where after spending min 30 AUD you are getting a discount coupon for fuel – it is worth to shop here. We started early and after 2 hours driving through savanna we reached the state border with such a sign:

Northern Territory – most remore part of Australia invites us!  In the middle of nowhere… Max speed on the empty road is now 130 instead 110, and more then 200 kms to the nearest petrol station… 39 deg. Celsius.  We are spending many hours in the car, but it is nice, because the a/c works and we are isolated there from those terrible flies

After 9 hours of driving we reached famous marvel of the nature – The Devils Marbles. They have 6-8 m in diameter and the best color at sunset. I was tired but happy to be there in the evening: