Gunpowder is located about 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours drive from Mt Isa. Heading towards Camooweal, after about 50km from Mt Isa turn right onto the Mount Gordon RD and this will take you all the way to the Mt Gordon Mine (formerly known as Gunpowder) This was also a fully functioning township and resort. There is a large lake with fresh water crocs, Barramundi, Turtles and I assume redclaw and other types of fish species along with an abundant array of bird life. We also spotted Emu's, Dingo's and a wild pig. I found it hard to get any information from the locals of Mt Isa about the area so I can only tell you what we have encountered on our two camping trips that we have made to this area.
The people have long since gone, the facilities and tracks have been left to the elements and nature is slowly taking back the country. This is such a picturesque place that no-one seems to visit, its a real shame as just after spending a few days exploring this area there is so much to see and experience.
There is a small mining camp still located in the area but is only used by a skeleton crew and only the presence of a single 4wd vehicle outside a cabin was the only evidence of life that we saw. There is also a farm house located in the old township and the only signs of life we saw there was a couple of barking cattle dogs....It does really feal like a ghost town...the abandoned facilities like the swimming pool still has the water pump running, The old gym room still has lights on, The old petrol station still has bowsers out-side. The old school was used as a camp for the miners after the township shutdown but that too has become overgrown with weeds and cattle roam freely in and out of the rooms. (please see attached photo's for more insight to the area)
The geocache is located on top of a look-out. The walking track is now overgrown and has been washed out in places but it is only a 15 min walk. There is plenty of places to park at the start of the trail and I have given directions from the Mount Gordon Rd to this location in the waypoints and photo's.
This cache is accessible with a normal suv type car such as a Holden Captiva or Nissan X-Trail as the Mt gordon Rd is gravil for most of the way and can have high sections in between the wheel tracks where a low car might scrape the gravil peaks.
There is also another great geocache within a short drive from this area. It is in amazing location, so please plan your trip to include this cache aswell....it will be named LONE-STAR........
Some extra info I copied from the net:
Gunpowder is a mining locality 120 km north of Mount Isa. The origin of the name is unrecorded but may refer to the site of clashes between white settlers and Indigenous inhabitants. It is part of the copper-bearing country stretching north from Mount Isa and Cloncurry.
A mining lease was worked at the Mammoth mine at Gunpowder from 1927 onwards, but the most intensive mining operations were during the 1970s-80s. A State primary school operated during two periods, 1970-82 and 1991-99. During the 1970s there were also a store, a swimming pool and a motel. The motel was converted into the Gunpowder Resort for a while.
After the closure of the Mammoth and Esperanza mines in the mid-1980s, production recommenced in 1990 using a solvent extraction plant.