Mount Isa is a remote Queensland mining town whose claim to fame is the 270-metre factory stack visible from over 40 km away. It also has Australia's largest mineral deposits of silver, lead, copper, and zinc etc. It is famous for having produced tennis great, Pat Rafter and international golfer, Greg Norman among others. Currently, hundreds of visitors make their way to Mt. Isa in August to watch or take part in theirworld-famous annual rodeo.
Tourist Destination
Unlike most tourist destinations, Mount Isa is surrounded by a very sparse landscape, typical of mining towns worldwide, but there are still so many things to see and do for visitors who flock to the city. In the past, finding suitable accommodation in Mount Isa was not easy as accommodation was mainly for mining workers, but that is not the case today with many full-service clean and tidy accommodations which have come up to handle current mining and the fledgling tourist industry. These places are clean, modern, well maintained, full-service, but at prices way below than most typical Australian cities. Their clientele too has changed over the years, from providing room and board for mining workers to present visitors like backpackers, tourists, and the annual rodeo exhibition participants.
Well-Appointed Rooms
At the present time, typical Mount Isa accommodation at many of the lodges in the city are situated in open spacious surroundings, provide clean rooms, and full service apartments with double beds, laundry machines, bar refrigerator, air conditioning, television and DVD player, self-operate, fully equipped kitchens, dining halls, toilets and showers on each level, common rooms, etc. Some of the modern lodges also provide courtesy buses to their customers that will drop them at various clubs or pubs in town; this service is free of charge in most places. The month of August is when Mt. Isa comes alive with Australia's biggest rodeo show and the town doubles or triples in size, which results in a huge demand for accommodation for the visitors and rodeo participants.
Latest Mod-Cons
For many first time visitors to Mount Isa in Queensland, the landscape might be a shock, because it is quite barren, rocky, and inhospitable. However, it is these rocks that contain many valuable minerals that make up quite a bit of Australia's domestic consumption and international exports. Mining industry workers have the opportunity to stay in fully-serviced and competitively priced inns and lodges in the city. Typical inn and lodge accommodation in Mount Isa keeps the visitor well-insulated from the bleak landscape and the hot and dry weather. Lodges and inns use reverse cycle air conditioning to keep their visitors happy and contended while providing them with excellent food-making facilitieswith their commercial kitchens.
Martin Wynn
