Once upon a time when you took a holiday it was at the beach. To even consider holidaying at a mining location was unthinkable - mines were either far off the beaten track or way off limits behind high wire mesh fences or barricaded gate houses.

Only a few locations offered even limited scope for satisfying the intrigue a minesite offers, especially underground mines.

But just about every mining town - especially the older ones - in every state has something to offer. And at the same time we must remember that where mining goes so does - or did - the supplier base, plus the supplier base to that supplier base.

Now I can't mention them all, so apologies in advance for those locations that I do not cover that no doubt have much to offer. You see, I only had a few weeks to do my mining tour of the country.

Heading south from Darwin travellers come across Tennant Creek. The town has done its heritage proud, being one of the first mining establishments in the country where the Chinese uncovered gold.

A side trip out to Warrego will take you to the remains of a band-new smelter - well, it was brand-new around 30 years ago but never completed.

Then you can head east at the hint of the rising sun and hit Mount Isa. Once upon a time, the Isa held underground tours for tourists and would-be miners alike. Not so today, I am told, but there is still much to see in the interpretation centres which detail the town's rich history.

The Isa has also done very well from the supplier base that travelled from afar to tout their wares to the industry over the past 40 or 50 years. From hotels to food outlets, car rental companies and so on, the town is certainly well set up.

Then it's onto another stalwart mining town, Charters Towers, and the major Bowen Basin locations, which also combine rich local history with a key export industry.

Hitting the eastern seaboard there's not much mining related until you hit the hinterland of New South Wales

There are a myriad of old towns out here with stories to be told from an old mining shed or two - from tin mining in the New England region to opals in the far west of Lightning Ridge.

Then it's down to the Hunter Valley where long ago an escaped convict stumbled across an outcrop of coal - and the rest is history.

I'm not one to stick too close to the coast for long, so let's follow the inland route through Orange, Dubbo and onto Cobar. I'll say no more, just go there sometime and see for yourself.

Cobar is another town that has prospered in more ways than one from the intrepid mining reps and now boasts a mining attraction or two, such as the tailings dam in the town's centre.

And of course we have all heard of - and seen in movies - Broken Hill and Silverton. What an absolute icon and, again, this place had its fair share of revenue from the travelling salesman in times gone by.

Further South one enters old mining towns that were born in central Victoria's gold-rush heyday.

There are signs out everywhere showing gold trails that meander through magnificent townships that host weekend getaways from the humdrum of Melbourne's big smoke.

If you're serious about a mining tour of Australia, you can't go past a quick trip across the pond to Tassie and down the West Coast to the legendary township of Queenstown and the heritage of its surrounding countryside.

And what do you know, here you can tour an actual operating underground mine, which is well worth the price of admission for anyone who's never ventured into the deeps.

Zeehan also has a legendary mining museum which was once the Tasmanian School of Mines. This area is a comfy two-hour drive from Burnie so stopovers for intrepid mining reps are all but gone, but I bet there were some great nights around the local pubs when access was a tad more difficult.

Back on the mainland we travel to Ballarat - without a doubt the best example of colonial mining heritage tourism in Australia today.

Then it's on through South Australia, home to some great old copper mining towns such as Burra.

But what about the opal fields of SA? Now that's another avenue of mining that has so much colour to it - pardon the pun - that is a story in itself. But the adventure of staying in an underground motel at Coober Pedy holds its mystique.

Sadly, reader, I have run out of road for this week so with your indulgence I will explore Western Australia next week. Till then.