underground hospital and museum

with the impending war the miners got together and built the underground hospital, luckily it was only ever used as a storage place. but you have to see it for yourself

An interesting hospital from the World War 2 era. It does remind you of the underground houses of Coober Pedy.It is only open for a few hours from 10am, so plan your visit as you will also need at least an hour here as it also includes the Beth Anderson Museum which houses a collection of antique and historical memorabilia and medical equipment.

This was well worth the time to look through. The underground hospital was a part of history that I had never heard about. It was very interesting to see. The museum itself contained a hugh amount of medical equipment and it is kept clean and tidy by volunteers.

This place gave us a fascinating insight into our WW2 past, of which we were unaware. It was a welcome respite from the heat too.The volunteer guide was very pleasant and helpful. The tent house on the same site was worth a look too, to see how residents coped with the climate in those days.

Volunteer staff were friendly enough we wondered the tent house and museum then I expected a guided tour for $15 each through the underground hospital but we were left to explore the underground hospital our selfs. No guide, no explanation of equipment or funny stories or stories about the reconstruction. No one to ask questions too. Only what we read ourselves on signage. That was a huge let down for me.

Well Well what a little gem , the museum was ok , however the hospital was Amazing well worth the small fee .....

The Underground Hospital at Mt Isa is incredible. Who knew that after the bombing of Darwin they replicated the hospital at Mt Isa underground. Such and interesting place and the guide was fabuous with his knowledge

This was a great little museum although all the old equipment on display was a little off-putting for sooks like me! The underground hospital was great and the volunteers were really knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Sad to see the bush medicine garden suffering from the dry so much.

Excellent tour but sweat heaps in the mine. You wear safety gear and overalls so dress lightly it's warm down there.

This was very informative, it does us all good to see what people had to deal with in the war times, makes you appreciate what was done for us to live in such a great country. The instruments and medicines were so different, they did an amazing job under very difficult circumstances, feel very grateful

Great attraction to visit while in Mt Isa. The Museum and tent house can be explored at your own pace and then you can also go on a guided tour of the Underground Hospital.This attraction is fully staffed by dedicated Volunteers, who love to tell you about the history of the underground hospital. After you have had your tour have a free cup of Tea or Coffee and a biscuit. For an admission fee of $15 ($13 pensioners) this is great value and well worth seeing.Their web site is http://www.mountisaundergroundhospital.com/

The underground hospital is an important part of Australia's history that was almost lost. Thanks to the hardwork by volunteers and Mount Isa Mines the tunnels have been restored and are open to the public. We loved both the museum and the underground displays. My wife is a nurse and was amazed to see a hospital with rock walls and dirt floors. The volunteer staff were very friendly and were able to answer all our questions. This visit was the best part of our Mount Isa experience.

This museum hospital is well worth a visit and the only underground hospital in Australia. It has a great collection of hospital equipment ready for the doctor to operate. It was built in 1942 after the Japanese had bombed Darwin and people feared that Mt. Isa was the next town to be attached. The underground hospital had surgical, medical and maternity facilities as well as operating theatres.As you walk around in the tunnels you can just imagine what it would have been like to be a patient at that time. Some tunnels have collapsed. Guided tours are available run by volunteers and they are more than happy to share their knowledge.Next door to the museum is the tent house a long narrow timber framed building with canvas walls and roof. There were 179 tent houses build between 1932 and 1952. This house is full of furniture and heaps of memorabilia.

It's not a set tour other than the volunteers walk you down to the underground hospital bit, and tell you some history. They let you look around at your leisure, and are available throughout to answer questions. I arrived with an hour to spare and honestly I could have spent an hour and a half, up to two hours as I like nosing around old hospital stuff. The museum is open 10-2pm each day, and is $15 entry for adults. There is no distinct parking signs but park opposite the fencing, and walk up to the main building with the verandah first to pay admission and get the directions to the underground hospital part. Then take your time and enjoy! I really enjoyed it, lots of artefacts, and pictures, with plenty for the photographer enthusiast to enjoy.

Whilst this is an interesting attraction, restored by enthusiasts, I feel that we made a decision to enter the hospital based on false information. The current "Mt Isa Tourist Guide" states there is a "Tour duration of approximately one hour", however, no such thing occurred on the day we arrived at the advertised time of 1.00pm. I understand situations can change after a brochure is printed, however there was a woman at the entrance to the museum who also told us there was an impending tour. Based on this false information and after viewing the prices ($30 for 2 adults) we paid to enter. She then told us where to walk for the NON EXISTENT TOUR. I say this, because "the guide" merely sat on a chair at the entrance to the hospital, stating what was in each of the three arms or so of the Hospital/ tunnels. This took WAY LESS THAN 5 MINUTES and was basically a set of simple directions. Adding to my disappointment and feeling that this tourist attraction had been misrepresented, was the fact that I later learned this "guide" actually knew a great deal, which he had chosen not to share. Our money was taken under false pretences. (Perhaps the woman did not know the guide was not doing his job at all.)