Tourists can grab a glimpse of the remnants left behind, with guided bus tours by North West Tours.

Town square fossils, including concrete pathways, building foundations and a stone water fountain can all be seen.

Visitors can also check out the open cut uranium mine, filled with rainwater turned deep blue from rusted equipment thrown in.

Managing director Gary Murray said he began the trip last month to help tourists access the historic site.

“We started because visitors are apprehensive if they don’t have a four-wheel drive and its such a great place with history,” he said.

More than 8000 tonnes of uranium oxide – also known as yellow cake – was extracted from the Argylla Ranges mine before it was closed in the early 1980s. 

The town was built in less than five years to accommodate a population of up to 1200 people, made up mostly of mine employees and their families.

A short video played during the trip can help passengers to understand why Mary Kathleen was known as a model town.

Homes were built in arrays running west to east to catch breezes, with a town plantation cultivated to supply residents with fresh fruit and vegetables.

Mr Murray said passengers did not need to worry about radiation levels from the uranium mine while on the tour.

The site is opened to the public and accessible by unsealed roads.

North West Tour business partner Michelle Low Mow said she had once swam in the mine’s water with her husband and lived to tell the tale.

The experience is not offered on the Old Mary Kathleen Uranium Mine Interpretative tour but passengers can take a short walk to look at the open cut mine.

Owners of the property say the water is contaminated and swimming is not advised.

The four-hour tour, which is priced from $119 per adult, requires a minimum of six people to run.

Bookings can be made by phoning North West Tours on 4749 1555. 

Journalist Hannah Baker was a guest of North West Tours’ Mary Kathleen trip.