I'm working out of the Brisbane office of our sister publication The Redland City Bulletin this week.
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This is because of a visit by my father from Ireland to Australia to see his grandchildren in Brisbane and Sydney.
Sadly I've been unable so far to convince him of the delights of Mount Isa and North West Queensland (it's hard to convince a 79-year-old of anything they don't want to be convinced about) so in this case the mountain must come to Muhammad.
My place in Brisbane is in Wooloowin in the inner northern suburbs while the Redland City Bulletin operates out of an office in the southside bay suburb of Cleveland and it's nowhere near a train station so there is no alternative but to hop in the car and drive an hour in heavy traffic to get from A to B.
It's days like these when the traffic slows to a crawl due to congestion or an accident that I thank my lucky stars I'm normally based in Mount Isa and can enjoy a stress-free five minute drive from home to the office.
Instead I'm cursing every red light and dodging the lane swappers and heavy trucks heading every which way.
It's an aspect of our lives in the North West we take for granted (though perversely of course we think nothing of a six-hour drive to Karumba or seven to Birdsville!) and perhaps we do more to promote as part of our quality of life.
I know it has been promoted by Mount Isa City Council has part of their "city of opportunity" branding campaign launched amid great fanfare in January this year.
But it requires us all to do our bit and I have been taking every chance to brag about it (additional trucks on the highway due to the closed rail line notwithstanding) down here to anyone willing to listen to me.
It's not all bad here. If I get here early enough I can zip down to Cleveland Point and enjoy a coffee by the beautiful Moreton Bay and watch the pelicans glide past on a glassy sea in glorious early light.
But then some might rightly say it is no better than a jaunt out to Lake Moondarra to watch the sunset.
Something I'll be availing myself of as soon as I'm back in the Great North West - Derek Barry
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
