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Mount Isa, Queensland
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Mount Isa is a city in North-West Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines is one of the most productive single mines in world history—based on combined production of lead, silver, copper and zinc.
With a population of nearly 25,000 in the city and 36,000 in the surrounding district, Mount Isa is the administrative, commercial and industrial centre for the state's vast north-western region.
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Encyclopedia
Mount Isa is a city in North-West Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines is one of the most productive single mines in world history—based on combined production of lead, silver, copper and zinc.
With a population of nearly 25,000 in the city and 36,000 in the surrounding district, Mount Isa is the administrative, commercial and industrial centre for the state's vast north-western region. Although situated in an arid area, the artificial Lake Moondarra 19km north of the city provides both drinking water and an area for watersports, birdwatching and recreation. Locals often refer to Mount Isa as "The Isa".
History
The city came into existence soon after 1923 when John Campbell Miles discovered a rich seam of silver-lead, the western edge of the Cloncurry field. Named after the Mount Ida goldfields in Western Australia, mining operations began there a year later. In 1964, the town made national headlines after the events leading to the infamous 1964 Mount Isa strike. Mount Isa was proclaimed a city in 1968 when the population has reached 18,000. The city and surrounds grew in front and around the mine to the point that by 1972, 34,000 people resided in the town. The population dropped steadily for the next three decades until a mining boom occurred, steadily increasing the population to near-similar figures from the 70's-80's.
Local governance
The Mount Isa City Council administers an area of 42 904 km², and the town of Camooweal, located 188 km to the west, is in fact a 'suburb' of the city. Mount Isa once laid claim to being the largest city in the world by area, with a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records, even though the city of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia and the direct-controlled municipality of Chongqing in China are considerably larger.
Local industry and business
Mount Isa's industry is largely dependent on mining. Xstrata Plc operates the Mount Isa Mines lease adjacent to the town, which comprises the "Enterprise" underground copper mine, X41 underground copper mine, "Black Star Open Cut" silver-lead zinc mine, and metallurgical processing facilities. Silver-lead-zinc ore is also mined 20 km to the north at Hilton from the "George Fisher" underground mine, and the adjoining "Handlebar Hill" open cut, which is trucked back to Mount Isa for processing.
Mount Isa is in the top two of largest copper mining and smelting operations in the country.
Copper and lead are smelted on site, with anodes and zinc concentrate being transported 900 km to the city and port of Townsville on the east coast. The lead ingots are transported to a refinery in Britain where the silver is extracted. The mine is the most significant landmark in the area, with the stack from the lead smelter (built 1978), standing 270 m tall, visible from all parts of the city and up to 40 km out.
In 2008 a Queensland Government Health report found that more than 10 per cent of children in Mount Isa had lead levels above World Health Organization recommendations. The mining operator Xstrata denied responsibility and stated that the town has naturally high levels of lead in the soil.
Tourism
Attractions include the Hard Times Mine at "Outback at Isa". The city's annual rodeo, which lasts three days, can triple the city's population.
Culture and sport
The local theatre group, the Mount Isa Theatrical Society, or MITS, often holds plays and musicals, at least once every few months or so.
AFL, Cricket, rugby league and tennis are the most common sports but BMX, shooting, dancing and ten-pin bowling are also present.
Mount Isa also has a cinema complex, situated in the CBD, that contains three air-conditioned cinemas, a skate park/aquatic centre and a multi-purpose sporting complex for basketball and other indoor sports. Mount Isa's events complex, Buchanan Park, opened in May 2007, can hold up to 6000 people and is used for special events such as concerts and expos. It is also the new home for the city's annual show and rodeo.
In September 2008, plans had been made to build a massive motor sports complex on the city's north-eastern outskirts. This complex is to include a drag-racing track, a BMX track and a mimi-stadium that can seat 2000 people.
The city is known for its annual rodeo and Mardi Gras street parade every August. There is also an annual Multicultural Festival in early September.
Famous people from Mount Isa
- William Barton, Didgeridoo player
- Simon Black, Australian rules footballer
- Gerard Denton, cricketer
- Simmone Jade Mackinnon, actress
- Deborah Mailman, actress
- Pat Mackie, union leader (1964/5 dispute)
- Gene Miles, rugby league player
- Greg Norman, golfer
- Scott Prince, rugby league player
- Nathan Fien, rugby league player
- Pat Rafter, tennis player
- Carl Webb, rugby league player
- John White, squash player
- Bill Sweetenham, Olympic swimming coach
- Douglas Rees Laing, International agricultural scientist
- Richard De Chazal, international fashion designer and photographer
Demographics
Mount Isa City (not including Camooweal) has a estimated population of 24,976 housed in approx. 9050 dwellings, making the city the largest and most populous one in Queensland's vast western interior. The district population is 35,743 and consists of the Cloncurry, Boulia, Flinders, Burke, Carpentaria and Richmond shires.
The ratio of males to females living in Mount Isa is reputedly five to one—Mayor John Molony drew international press attention in August 2008 when he told the Townsville Bulletin newspaper that Mt. Isa's gender imbalance made it a good place for "not so attractive" women to live. However, the most recent census found that men actually comprise only 52.6% of the population and that the five-to-one figure is an exaggeration.
Franchises such as K-Mart, Best and Less, Donut King, Coffee Club, Blockbuster, Gametraders, and EB Games have established stores in Mount Isa, as well as many smaller locally-owned business, many in the rejuvenated K-Mart shopping complex in the Central Business District. The population find the somewhat lack of heavy traffic, laid-back atmosphere and friendly hellos on the street to be a nice change from what they would normally find in bigger crowded coastal cities. Mount Isa's major nightclub—the Rish—is open 9 a.m. to late three nights a week.
Media
Radio
- AM 666 4LM (commercial)
- FM 100.9 Mob FM (commercial-70% country)
- FM 101.7 ABC Classic FM
- FM 102.5 Hot FM (commercial)
- FM 103.3 4TAB(horse racing)
- FM 104.1 ABC Triple J
- FM 104.9 ABC News Radio
- FM 105.7 Radio Rhema (religious)
- FM 106.5 ABC Local Radio
- FM 107.1 ABC Radio National
Television
- VHF 6 ABC Qld
- VHF 8 MSCM (mainly 7 network)
- UHF 29 SBS
- UHF 32 Imparja (mainly Nine network)
- UHF 35 NITV (Aboriginal programs)
Newspapers
- – printed daily Mon–Fri
- The Courier Mail – Mon–Sat
- Sunday Mail – Sun
- Townsville Bulletin – Mon–Sat (Mt Isa version printed on Saturdays)
Suburbs
Mount Isa City has fifteen residential suburbs and four industrial-bushland suburbs. The Leichhardt River divides the city into areas known as "mineside" and "townside". Xstrata, the power station and the Airport are on the mineside whilst the majority of the city, including the CBD and Base Hospital are on the townside. In recent years, with the mining boom and demand for accommodation and land causing a population increase, the city began to spread out, with new suburbs in the south-east and north of the city in the pipeline. It is hoped these expansions will cater for a 40,000+ population in the next ten-twenty years.
- Happy Valley (mineside)
- Mica Creek (mineside) – includes Mica Creek Powerhouse
- Healy (townside)
- Healy Heights (townside) – residential suburb currently under construction
- Townview (townside)
- Parkside (mineside) – Mount Isa's largest and oldest suburb. Contains Rish Nightclub inside the Irish Club.
- Mornington (townside)
- The Gap (townside)
- Mount Isa City (townside) – includes main shopping centre and eateries
- Mount Isa East (townside) – has own post office and smaller shopping centres
- Miles End (mineside)
- Menzies (townside) – includes Buchanan Park events complex.
- Pioneer (townside) – includes TAFE campus and ten-pin bowling complex
- Leichhardt (mineside)
- Soldiers Hill (mineside) – all streets and parks named after war locations and soldiers, such as Madang street and Gallipolli Park
- Sunset (townside) – multi-purpose centre
- Winston (townside)
- Ryan (townside) – mostly industrial, includes army and State Emergency Service barracks
- Kalkadoon (mineside) – includes airport and Kalkadoon Park
- Lanskey (townside)
- Spreadborough (townside) Mostly bushland and light industry.
- Breakaway Creek (townside) – east of the main city
Transport
Mount Isa city and surrounds are serviced by a 35 vehicle taxi service. Also, a taxi service known as "Isa-Curry" express transports passengers to and from the neighbouring centre of Cloncurry to Mount Isa and back again, usually for shopping and medical requirements. Additionally, many of the city's clubs have courtesy buses to and from their establishments that run seven days a week and into the early hours of the morning. Greyhound Australia has a depot in Mount Isa, with coach services to and from Townsville, Brisbane and Tennant Creek.
The city is served by QR passenger train The Inlander, which travels overnight to Townsville twice a week in each direction.
Mount Isa Airport has regular daily services to Brisbane, Townsville and Cairns, with other services to many remote Outback communities in western Queensland. The primary carriers which service Mount Isa and district are Qantas, Macair Airlines and Regional Pacific Airlines
Education
Mount Isa has eight public primary schools and three private primary schools:
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- Mount Isa Special School
- St Kieren's (private)
- St Josephs (private)
- (private)
And three high schools:
- Good Shepherd Catholic College (private)
- (to grade 10)
- Spinifex State College (Three campuses, Junior from grade 8 to grade 10, Senior from grade 11 to grade 12)
The residential campus of Spinifex College is unique in the fact that it is the only State-run boarding-type school in Queensland. Mount Isa is also home to School of the Air, a unique way of schooling isolated students in this vast section of the country.
The city also holds the main campus of the Mount Isa Institute of TAFE offering courses in a multiple range of fields, including mining, agriculture and trades. In addition, James Cook University has a presence, with the Mount Isa Centre for Rural and Remote Health in the Base Hospital complex.
Climate
Climate Table | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | | Mean daily maximum temperature (°C) | 36.4 | 35.3 | 34.3 | 31.8 | 27.8 | 24.9 | 24.7 | 27.2 | 31.1 | 34.6 | 36.4 | 37.1 | 31.8 |
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| Mean daily minimum temperature (°C) | 23.8 | 23.5 | 21.8
| 18.6 | 13.9 | 10.1 | 8.6 | 10.3 | 14.3 | 18.5 | 21.4 | 23.0 | 17.3 |
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| Mean total rainfall (mm) | 110.6 | 99.4 | 65.6 | 16.5 | 13.1 | 3.8 | 6.4 | 4.1 | 6.9 | 20.5 | 34.2 | 70.7 | 454.3 |
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| Mean number of rain days | 7.8 | 7.3 | 4.2 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 3.9 | 5.7 | 36.6 |
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See also
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