Mount Isa

Mount Isa
Queensland
Mount isa.jpg
Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia
Mount Isa is located in Queensland
Mount Isa
Population: 23,000
Established: 1923
Postcode: 4825
Elevation: 356 m (1,168 ft)
Time zone: AEST (UTC+10)
Location:
LGA: City of Mount Isa
Mean Max Temp Mean Min Temp Annual Rainfall
31.8 °C
89 °F		 17.3 °C
63 °F		 454.3 mm
17.9 in

Mount Isa is a city in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia. It came into existence because of the vast mineral deposits found in the area. Mount Isa Mines (MIM) is one of the most productive single mines in world history, based on combined production of lead, silver, copper and zinc.[1]

With a population of 23,000 in the city[2] and 31,000[3] 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[4] 19 km north of the city on the Leichhardt River provides both drinking water and an area for watersports, birdwatching and recreation. Locals often refer to Mount Isa as "The Isa".

Contents

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[5] goldfields in Western Australia, mining operations began there a year later.[6] In 1964, the town made national headlines when the Australian Workers' Union and lobbyist Pat Mackie led an eight-month strike, which closed the copper smelter and led the Queensland Government to declare a state of emergency in the region.[7] The dispute was settled in April 1965.

Mount Isa was proclaimed a city in 1968 when the population had reached 18,000. The city and surrounds grew in front of 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 again.

Governance

Mount Isa at local level is part of the City of Mount Isa, at state level is part of the electoral district of Mount Isa in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, and at federal level is part of the Division of Kennedy in the Australian House of Representatives. The mayor of Mount Isa is John Molony. The Mount Isa City Council jurisdiction is one of the largest in the world in terms of area and takes in the border town of Camooweal, 188 km to the north-west of Mount Isa and 12 km from the border of the Northern Territory. This makes Camooweal a quasi-satellite suburb of Mount Isa and the 188 km stretch of the Barkly Highway separating them the longest 'main street' in the world.

Local industry and business

Mount Isa's industry is largely dependent on mining. Xstrata Plc operates the Mount Isa Mines lease adjacent to the city, 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.[8] Copper and lead are smelted on site, with copper 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 Health report found that more than 10% of children in Mount Isa had blood 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.[9]

Tourism

Underground hospital

Climate

Mount Isa experiences a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh).

Climate data for Mount Isa
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 36.3
(97.3)		 35.3
(95.5)		 34.3
(93.7)		 31.9
(89.4)		 27.9
(82.2)		 24.9
(76.8)		 24.7
(76.5)		 27.3
(81.1)		 31.2
(88.2)		 34.6
(94.3)		 36.4
(97.5)		 37.1
(98.8)		 31.8
(89.2)
Average low °C (°F) 23.8
(74.8)		 23.4
(74.1)		 21.8
(71.2)		 18.5
(65.3)		 13.9
(57)		 10.0
(50)		 8.6
(47.5)		 10.3
(50.5)		 14.2
(57.6)		 18.6
(65.5)		 21.4
(70.5)		 23.1
(73.6)		 17.3
(63.1)
Precipitation mm (inches) 118.1
(4.65)		 99.4
(3.913)		 62.6
(2.465)		 15.9
(0.626)		 12.3
(0.484)		 6.1
(0.24)		 6.0
(0.236)		 3.9
(0.154)		 6.6
(0.26)		 19.3
(0.76)		 35.2
(1.386)		 70.0
(2.756)		 456.1
(17.957)
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology[10]

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.

Cricket, rugby league and tennis are the most common sports but shooting, dancing and ten-pin bowling are also present. Mount Isa has a Go Kart Club[11] situated off Duchess Road on the southern side of town.

Mount Isa also has a cinema complex, situated in the inner city on Rodeo Drive, 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 6,000 people and is used for special events such as concerts and expos. It is also the home of the city's annual show and rodeo.

In September 2008, plans were made to build a massive motor sports complex on the city's north-eastern outskirts. This complex was to include a drag-racing track, a BMX track and a mini-stadium that can seat 2,000 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.

Demographics

Mount Isa City (not including Camooweal) has an estimated population of 22,564 housed in approx. 9,050 dwellings, making the city the largest and most populous in Queensland's vast western interior, and one of the largest centres in outback Australia. The district population is 30,942 and incorporates the Cloncurry, Boulia, Burke, Carpentaria, Doomadgee, Flinders, Mornington 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 Mount Isa's gender imbalance made it a good place for "not so attractive" women to live.[12][13] 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.[14]

Franchises such as McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, Subway, K-Mart, Best and Less, Donut King, Coffee Club, Blockbuster, Harvey Norman, Bunnings, BCF and EB Games have established stores in Mount Isa, as well as many smaller locally-owned business, many in the K-Mart shopping complex and Simpson Central Arcade in the Central Business District. Mount Isa has a nightclub, the 'Rish', which is situated at the Irish Club in the central-southern suburb of Parkside.

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, population increases associated with the mining boom has increased demand for accommodation and land. The city has begun to spread out, with new suburbs in the south-east and north of the city being planned or developed. It is planned these expansions will cater for more than 40,000 people over the next 10 to 20 years.

Mineside
Townside

Transport

Mount Isa city and surrounds are serviced by a 35 vehicle taxi service. 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, Cairns and Townsville, as well as once-weekly services to Darwin and the Gold Coast thanks largely in part to AirNorth, in addition to other services to remote Outback communities in western Queensland. The primary carriers which service Mount Isa and district are QantasLink - Brisbane, Cairns, Townsville; AirNorth - Darwin, Gold Coast; Regional Express - Townsville. In November 2009, it was announced that Skytrans and Westwing Aviation will commence flights in and out of Mount Isa to and from cities on the coast, commencing in February 2010. Regional Express (REX) also announced flights between Mount Isa and Townsville starting after Christmas 2009.

Education

Mount Isa has eight public primary schools and three private primary schools:

And three high schools:

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 the School of the Air, a unique-to-Australia way of schooling isolated students in Australia's vast lightly populated country areas. The city also holds the main campus of the Mount Isa Institute of TAFE, offering courses in a wide 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.

Media

Radio

The following radio stations are available in the Mount Isa region:

Television

Five broadcast television services operate in Mount Isa — commercial stations Imparja Television and Southern Cross Central (formerly known as ITQ Channel 8, QQQ, QTV and QSTV- Queensland Satellite Television), and the Government-owned ABC and SBS. Imparja has a programming affiliation agreement with the Nine network. Southern Cross Central has programming affillliations with both the Seven Network and Network Ten Australia. Aboriginal focused channel NITV (National Indigenous Television) broadcasts on UHF Channel 35.

Digital Television transmissions have commenced in Mount Isa. New channels provided by the ABC and SBS can be received with a digital set top box or digital television. Additional channels from the commercial broadcasters that are available in most other areas of Australia are expected to commence transmission in 2011-2012. Analogue television transmissions will be switched off by 31 December 2013.

The station is broadcast, on relay to ABC & SBS, the Nine Network programming, indigenous & locally produced programming on Imparja and the programming from the Seven Network as well as Network Ten's AFL & netball coverage on Southern Cross Central.

Newspapers

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mount Isa at Australian Explorer
  2. ↑ ABS Census 2006
  3. ↑ ABS Census 2006 QLD North West Statistical Division
  4. ↑ Mount Isa Water
  5. ↑ Place name details: Mount Isa
  6. ↑ What is Mount Isa's history? Mount Isa City Council
  7. ↑ Mt. Isa History
  8. ↑ 1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2008
  9. ↑ Queensland Health
  10. ↑ "Climate statistics for Mount Isa". Australian Bureau of Meteorology. http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_029127.shtml. Retrieved 31 December 2009. 
  11. ↑ Australian Karting Association (Qld) Incorporated
  12. ↑ Ugly girls welcome, says beer goggle capital
  13. ↑ Outback mayor seeks "ugly duckling" women
  14. ↑ The ugly face of Oz
  15. ↑ Australian Story Program 24, 1997
  16. ↑ Artlink Magazine - Male Nude: A Private View
  17. ↑ "Bill Sweetenham: the bloke from Mt Isa saving British swimming". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 August 2003. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/12/1060588389802.html?from=storyrhs. 

External links

Cities of Queensland, Australia Flag of Queensland
Capital: Brisbane
Metropolitan: Gold Coast · Ipswich · Logan · Redcliffe · Caloundra

Regional: Bundaberg · Cairns · Charters Towers · Gladstone · Hervey Bay · Mackay · Maryborough · Mount Isa · Rockhampton · Toowoomba · Townsville