We went to the Underground Hospital and the Tent House today. The hospital was very interesting - after Darwin was bombed in 1942 it was thought that Mount Isa was considered to be a prime target so they built an underground air raid shelter for the patients. The facility was never used although during the war emergency drills were carried out regularly and the nurses would move patients into the underground hospital. In the early 1950's the entrances were covered with earth and the facility was forgotten. It wasn't till 1977 that it was rediscovered when workers were probing for a reason for subsidence in the area. Old photographs were used to restore it to its original structure and lots of artefacts were found even some tablets. Some of the equipment looked very baron.
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| Resuscitation Trolley |
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| Breast Pump (Ouch) |
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| Bunks in the underground hospital |
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| Entrance to Underground Hospital |
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| Morgue Trolley |
The tent house is no longer open and is in really bad condition. Tent houses were used in the 1930's to overcome some of the housing shortage. Apparently there were about 30 build in Mount Isa but this is the only one that is left at the moment.
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