Mount Isa
Population 22,000
Mount Isa is situated on the Leichhardt River in the Selwyn Range, which
is the only relief in the north-western flatness. It is 198km (123 miles)
from the Northern Territory border, 917km (570 miles) from Townsville,
and 1854km (1152 miles) from Brisbane.
Climate
Mount Isa has two distinct seasons - The Wet and The Dry. The Wet lasts
from December to March, but the rainfall is not as heavy as further north,
averaging 250mm (10 ins) for the four months, compared with the Burketown
(about 340km - 211 miles north) average of 700mm (28 ins) for the same
period. Average temperatures: January max 37C (99F) - min 24C (75F);
July max 24C (75F) - min 10C (50F).
Characteristics
The Isa, as the locals call it, is a modern mining town with over 100 clubs
and 70 sporting associations. Because of its isolation, the people of
Mt Isa have endeavoured to make life as pleasant as possible, and like
other outback towns, it exudes a 'tougher' atmosphere than the coastal
cities. This is probably caused by the harshness of the surrounding countryside.
Mount Isa is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as 'The Largest City
in the World in Area', and with an area of 40,977km2 (15,817 sq miles),
the record will stand for a long time.
How to Get There By Rail
There is a twice weekly service from/to Townsville, and the Inlander takes
21 hours for the journey
By Road
It is a long, hot drive from anywhere, and if travelling in wet weather,
tune in to the local radio stations for the latest road reports. Extreme
care should be taken when you meet road trains, which are very long,
articulated trucks. It is very dangerous to overtake them, as it takes
some time to get past. When possible, the road train driver will move
over to let you through.
From Townsville, via the Flinders and Barkly Highways.
From Brisbane, via the Warrego and Landsborough Highways to Cloncurry,
then through Mary Kathleen.
From Three Way Junction on the Alice Springs/Darwin road, via the Barkly
Highway.
Tourist Information
The Riversleigh Fossil Centre & Mount Isa Tourist Information is at
19 Marian Street, (07) 4749 1555. The website is www.
mountisa.qld.gov.au and you can email them at isatourism @mountisa.qld.gov.au
Accommodation
Mount Isa has a good assortment of accommodation and the Tourist Information
Centre has a complete list. Here is a selection, with prices for a double
room per night, which should be used as a guide only. The telephone area
code is 07.
Mercure Hotel Verona, cnr Camooweal & Marian Streets, 4743 3024. 32
units, licensed restaurant, swimming pool - $141-150.
Mercure Inn Burke & Wills, Mt Isa, cnr Grace & Camooweal Streets,
4743 8000. 56 units, licensed restaurant, swimming pool, spa, gym - $182.
Copper City Motel, 105 Butler Street, 4743 2033. 11 units, bbq - $80.
The Overlander, 119 Marian Street, 4743 5011. 20 units, licensed restaurant,
bistro - $82.
Barkly Hotel, 55-65 Barkly Highway, 4743 2988. 40 units, licensed restaurant,
swimming pool - $70.
Townview, 116 Kookaburra, 4743 8000. 56 units, licensed restaurant - $55-95.
Motel Central Point, 6 Marian St, 4743 0666. 19 units, swimming pool -
$77.
4th Avenue Motor Inn, 20 Fourth Ave, 4743 3477. 25 units, swimming pool
- $72.
Inland Oasis, 195 Barkly Hwy, 4743 3433. 23 units, licensed restaurant
(closed Sunday), swimming pool - $70.
Caravan Parks
Copper City Caravan Park, 185 West Street, 4743 4676. (Pets allowed on
application) - powered sites $18 for two, on-site vans $39 for two.
Riverside Tourist Caravan Park, 195 West Street, 4743 3904. (No dogs allowed)
- powered sites $18 for two, park cabins $61 for two.
Sunset Caravan Park, 14 Sunset Drive, 4743 7668. (Pets on application)
- powered sites $18 for two, on-site vans $35 for two.
Eating Out
The Clubs welcome visitors, and most of the pubs serve counter meals. Several
of the motels have licensed restaurants, and there are restaurants and
takeaway outlets in the centre of town. Below are a few options.
Mystros Restaurant, 26 Miles Street, (07) 4749 0388.
Red Lantern Chinese Restaurant, 1 Simpson Street, (07) 4743 4070.
Abyssinia Cafe Restaurant, 103 Marianne Street, (07) 4749 0655.
Points of Interest
The focal point of the town is the mine and the stacks. The lead smelter
stack is 266m (873 ft) high, and can be seen for miles around. Mount
Isa Mines employs one in five of the city's population, and most other
people in the city are dependent on the mine. Mount Isa Mines Limited
is Queensland's largest single industrial enterprise, and its richest.
Mount Isa dates back only to 1923, when the prospector John Campbell Miles
found an ore outcrop, which is now marked by an obelisk. His ashes are
buried beneath a memorial clock in Marian Street, opposite the Post Office.
It was Australia's first company town, and an example of early company
housing, a tent house, is on display in Fourth Avenue, and is a far cry
from the company house of today. The Tent House is open from April - September,
and the Tourist Centre can advise of the hours.
John Middlin Mining Centre is in Church Street, 4749 1558, and has exhibits
of mining methods, historical photographs, rock specimens, examples of
ore, film of mining and smelting operations, all contained in an historic
building with garden surroundings. It is open daily 9am-4pm.
Surface tours of the Isa Mines show take you through mine shafts, workshops,
mills, smelters and past those huse stacks that dominate the skyline, giving
you an insight into some of the processes of the industry andthe equipment
used. Costs are $18 adults, $9 children, 4749 1555.
Underground tours depart early and mid morning Monday to Friday. They are
designed to be a hands-on approach to learning about and experiencing life
in the mines, covering ladder climbing, encountering and dealing with the
dangers of working underground and navigating tricky surfaces. Age and
health restrictions apply, 4749 1555. The cost is $60 per person.
Frank Aston Underground Museum, in Shackleton Street, has displays of early
homestead equipment, plus a simulated Aboriginal encampment depicting tribal
customs of the district. The museum was built by mining into the hill beneath
one of the city's early reservoir tanks, which is now part of the museum.
It is open daily 9am-4pm, 4749 1558.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service Base, at 11 Barkly Highway, has a display
and film of the Service's history to the present day. Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm,
4743 2800. School of the Air, in the RFDS Base complex, 11 Barkly Highway,
gives visitors an insight into radio and telephone use that augments correspondence
education for primary school children of the Outback. Tours are organised
at 9am and 10am on weekdays.
The City Lookout in Hilary Street, offers a 360 degree panoramic view of
the city and mine area, and is worth a second visit at sunset or later,
when the lights of the mine are a spectacle in themselves. The lookout
has a global signpost, with distances to cities all over the world, further
proof that Mount Isa is a long way from everywhere.
Lake Moondarra, 15.5km (10 miles) north of the city off the Barkly Highway,
is a sanctuary and Mount Isa's regular water storage. There are barbecue
facilities, children's play area, safe swimming, canoeing, sailing, water-skiing
and a kiosk.
Riversleigh Fossils Display, West Street, 4749 1555, has amazing fossil
discoveries of World Heritage listing significance, including new mammal
species, bats and huge snakes, and make sure you see 'Big Bird'. Some of
the specimens date back 30 million years. Opening Times are Mon-Fri 8.30am-4.30pm,
Sat-Sun 9am-2pm. Entry is free, but there is an admission charge of $9
adult, $5 child, $24 family for the Interpretive Displays. This award-winning
attraction should not be missed.
Kalkadoon Tribal Centre and Cultural Keeping Place, Marian Street (next
to the Tourist Information Centre), has artefacts of the fierce fighting
tribe indigenous to this area. It is open to visitors Mon-Fri 9am-5pm,
and there is a charge of $2 for adults, with children free.
The Civic Centre in West Street, is Mount Isa's pride and joy, and a showcase
for local and visiting performances, presentations and conferences.
Ray Donaldson Memorial Lookout and Walking Track, at the top end of Pamela
Street on the far eastern side of the city, follows the ridge of spinifex
hills as far as the Overlander Hotel, and offers some great views.
The Tourist Information Centre has information on several tours in and
around Mount Isa, including heritage tours ($26), tours to Aboriginal rock
art sites ($55), scenic flights to the Gulf ($405), horseback trail rides
($45), fishing adventures ($314), and 3-day safari tours to rock art sites
and Lawn Hill National Park ($450).
Festivals
The Mount Isa Show is held in June; The Rodeo is in August; the Festival
of Arts is in September; and the Oktoberfest and Eisteddfod, are both
in October.
Facilities
Mount Isa has very good sporting facilities: boating, lawn bowls, golf,
sailing, swimming, tennis, water skiing. Gem fossicking is very popular
in the area.
Outlying Attractions Camooweal
Situated 188km (117 miles) west of Mount Isa, Camooweal is only a few kilometres
from the Northern Territory border. It is a supply town for large cattle
stations in the vast outback border area. During the 1880s, it was an important
stop on the great cattle droves, and today the road trains, which transport
the cattle to the coast, still stop at Camooweal.
An interesting attraction here is the Camooweal Caves National Park, featuring
an extensive system of caverns and caves with some vertical shafts up to
75 metres deep. Only people with caving experience should enter. Check
road conditions before visiting, and it is recommended that you make the
trip during the winter. Camping is available in the National Park with
a permit obtainable from the Ranger Station in Mt Isa, 4743 2055.
Lawn Hill National Park
Also known as Boodjamulla, this fertile National Park has a spectacular
gorge, scenic sandstone ranges, thriving vegetetation and freshwater
springs. The main activities are conoeing and walking. A number of rewarding
walking trails, from 2-7km in distance, are outlined on a detailed pamphlet
by Queensland Parks & Wildlife, available from the Visitor Centre
in Mt Isa. To book camp sites, 4748 5572.
Mary Kathleen
The now deserted town of Mary Kathleen is 60km (37 miles) east of Mount
Isa. It was established in the 1950s to mine the then largest known deposit
of uranium in Australia. The mine was closed in 1963, reopened in 1976
and modernised, then finally closed again in 1982.
Cloncurry
Locally known as 'The Curry', Cloncurry is 124km (77 miles) east of Mount
Isa. The surrounding hills hide many old ghost towns, and ruins of early
copper mines. The area was a big copper producer until Mount Isa was
developed. Maps of the ghost towns are available from the Court House
for those who wish to explore, or to try their hand at gem fossicking.
Most of these areas are only accessible by 4WD vehicles. Gold is also
found in small amounts around the area.
It was here in 1928 that the Flying Doctor Service had its beginnings,
and a Cloister of Plaques has been erected to commemorate its pioneers
on the site where the first pedal wireless call for help was received.
The Mary Kathleen Memorial Park is situated at the eastern end of the town.
The park contains a museum housing one of the best rock collections in
Australia, as well as memorabilia of Mary Kathleen, and explorer Robert
O'Hara Burke's water bottle. The park is hopen daily 8am-5pm.
Beside the highway where it crosses the Corella River, 43km (27 miles)
west of Cloncurry, is a cairn commemorating the ill-fated Burke and Wills
expedition to cross the continent from south to north in 1860-61. At nearby
Lake Corella there are picnic and barbecue facilities. The lake was formed
to supply the former mining town of Mary Kathleen.
The highest official shade temperature, 53.1C (127.58F), was recorded in
Cloncurry in 1889. Cloncurry's Merry Muster is a weekend event preceding
Mount Isa's Rodeo in August.
A popular swimming hole, about 9m (30 ft) deep with practically no shallows,
is found at Mount Frosty, which can easily be reached in dry weather. An
old limestone mine is nearby and the area is ideal for gem fossicking.
On the Burke Development Road, 378km (235 miles) north of Cloncurry, is
Normanton, the main centre for the Carpentaria Shire. The town was established
in 1868, and has a population around 930. It is situated on the Norman
River, 50km (31 miles) from the coast as the crow flies, and was once an
important port. The wharf has long since rotted away, and the cattle are
now transported to the eastern seaboard by cattle trains. Here is found
the only rail line not linked to the main system in Queensland, and once
a week there is a service between Glenore and Croydon, a distance of 132km
(82 miles).
The Cloncurry Information Centre can be contacted on (07) 4742 1251.
Karumba
Karumba, on the mouth of the Norman river, is 74km (46 miles) from Normanton
by road, and is the centre of the $10 million prawning industry in the
southern part of the Gulf of Carpenatria. The trawlers bring the prawns
to Karumba, and there they are snap frozen and air freighted to the southern
states and overseas. For more information, contact the Karumba News & Trevel
Centre, located in, 63 Yappar Street, on (07) 4745 9187 or visit www.
gulf-savannah.com.au
Winton
Situated 343km (213 miles) south-east of Cloncurry on the Landsborough
Highway, Winton was the birthplace of QANTAS. The Queensland and Northern
Territory Air Service had its first registered office in Winton in 1920,
but moved to Longreach, 180km (112 miles) south-east.
Winton is synonymous with sheep, and there is a cairn on Winton's town
common commemorating the Great Shearers' Strike of 1891-4. In nearby Elderslie
Street is Herb Young's wagon, the last horse drawn wagon to bring wool
to Winton's railhead. Road trains now bring cattle from the Channel Country
and the Northern Territory to the railway.
Banjo Paterson wrote "Waltzing Matilda" at Dagworth Station in the Winton
area in 1895, and a statue of a swagman has been erected in commemoration
near the swimming pool. In Elderslie Street is the Waltzing Matilda Centre,
4657 1466, a large complex housing Station Store, the Billabong Complex,
the Home of the Legend exhibition, the Qantilda Museum, the Outback Regional
Art Gallery, and the Coolibah Country Kitchen Restaurant. Contact the Centre
for further information on the town.
Other attractions in town include the National Trust classified Corfield & Fitzmaurice
Store, the Royal Theate, Arno's Wall and Opal Walk. At Castle Hill, west
of Winton, is Australia's hottest artesian bore, at 78.95C (174F). Dinosaur
footprints can be viewed from a suspended walkway at Lark Quarry, 5km off
the Winton Jundah Road, 105km (65 miles) south of Winton.
