91-469: Download coordinates as: Mount Isa ( / ˈ aɪ z ə / EYE -zə ) 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 . Before European contact,
182-458: 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. The city is known for its annual Rodeo and Mardi Gras street parade every August. There
273-400: 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. Mount Isa Coaches
364-517: A Go Kart Club situated off Duchess Road on the southern side of town. Attractions include the Hard Times Mine at "Outback at Isa" and The Mount Isa Rodeo and Mardi Gras (held on the same weekend) has given Mount Isa the title of "Rodeo Capital of Australia". The occasion may well triple the city's population in these few days. A memorial has been made especially for the Rodeo, down Rodeo Drive;
455-452: A different color (often red and yellow, respectively) and have distinctive feathered headdresses, no face, and often a third leg which is variously interpreted as either a penis or a lizard's tail. These figures are found near reliable water sources, and may have been used to mark trade and travel paths between regions. Analysis indicates that the ochres used for the paint originate over 100km southeast of Mount Isa. Davidson suggests that, like
546-467: A different grammar and only 10% percent of verbs cognate. Both have bounded pronouns or traces of them unlike all other languages in the surrounding areas suggesting they represented, until their extinction, a larger block of distinctive languages. Like many other Aboriginal societies, the Kalkatungu had a sign language . The idea of a large kangaroo, for example, was indicated by joining the tip of
637-536: A large filtration plant to remove the algae. The City of Mount Isa operates a public library in Mount Isa at 23 West Street which utilizes a high - speed ISDN Internet Connection (powered through the National Broadband Network ) to both Townsville and Brisbane . Mount Isa also has a cinema complex, situated in the inner city on Rodeo Drive, that contains three air-conditioned cinemas ,
728-404: A massive motor sports complex on the city's north-eastern outskirts, but as of 2024 it had not been built. 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 Glencore denied responsibility and stated that the town has naturally high levels of lead in the soil. However,
819-534: A monsoon. The dry season lasts from about April until November and is characterized by very dry southeast to east winds, generated by migratory winter high pressure systems to the south. The wet season lasts from December to March and is characterised by humid northerly monsoonal airflows. This wet season can be very erratic: at Burketown , which is typical of the region, the rainfall of various wet seasons has ranged from as little as 150 millimetres (5.9 in) to as much as 2,000 millimetres (79 in). Overall rainfall
910-465: A more recent study led by Macquarie University environmental engineers has used lead isotope analysis to show conclusively that the lead ingested had originated from smelted ore and not surface deposits. In 2015, Mt Isa formed its own Symphony Orchestra, acclaimed as the "most remote in the world". Inaugurated on 23 July 2015, the event attracted several stars of the music world, including world-famous jazz musician James Morrison . Morrison also figured in
1001-630: A natural filtration process involving reed beds in a large isolated lagoon, which, after disinfecting, produced water to acceptable standards under the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines . However, the prolonged drought has produced climatic conditions that have caused blooms of blue-green algae in Lake Moondarra, Lake Julius and the Clear Water Lagoon, necessitating the temporary introduction of
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#17327727042031092-516: 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 (25 mi) out. Mount Isa has eight public primary schools and three private primary schools: And four high schools: Mount Isa is also home to the School of
1183-530: A rumour circulated that the ratio of males to females living in Mount Isa was five to one. Former 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. However, the 2011 census revealed that 52.8% of residents were male and 47.2% were female. In
1274-486: A transit point for exchanges of everything from the native medical anaesthetic and narcotic stimulant, pituri , and ochre to stone knives and axes. Over 800,000 stone axe blanks remain strewn over the 2.4 sq.km metabasalt quarry at Lake Moondarra near Mt Isa, attesting to the intensity of Aboriginal manufacturing of trade goods in this Kalkatungu area, with some axes being traded as far distant as 1,000 kilometres. The Kalkatungu were an early transmission group for
1365-527: A tribal level, and it was often touted that the Kalkatungu had been wiped out. The estimated numbers they lost over six years, from 1878 to 1884, in counter-attacking incursions and the exercise of expropriation over their lands, runs to 900. In 1984 on the centenary of the massacre a plaque commemorating the Kalkatungu was unveiled by Charles Perkins and George Thorpe a Kalkatung elder, at the Kajabbi bush pub north of Cloncurry. It reads in part: This obelisk
1456-526: A week in each direction. The following radio stations are available in the Mount Isa region: Gulf Country The Gulf Country or North West Queensland is the region of woodland and savanna grassland surrounding the Gulf of Carpentaria in north western Queensland and eastern Northern Territory on the north coast of Australia. The region is also called the Gulf Savannah . The Gulf Country
1547-664: Is a locally owned and operated coach company that provides tours and charter services to the local community as well as mining, sporting, school and airport transfers. Greyhound Australia has a depot in Mount Isa, with coach services to and from Townsville , Brisbane and Tennant Creek . Mount Isa Airport has regular daily services to Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville, in addition to other services to remote Outback communities in western Queensland. The primary carriers which service Mount Isa and district are Qantas / QantasLink - Brisbane and Townsville; AirNorth - Darwin and Gold Coast; Regional Express - Townsville. In November 2009, it
1638-552: Is also an annual Multicultural Festival in early September. The local theatre group, the Mount Isa Theatrical Society, also known as MITS, often holds plays and musicals, at least once every few months. Athletics, gymnastics, tennis, rugby league, field hockey , football, netball, rugby union, cricket, and Australian rules are the most common sports but shooting , squash, softball, basketball, BMX racing, and ten-pin bowling are also present. Mount Isa has
1729-641: Is an Australian Aboriginal language of the Gulf Country, particularly the Hughenden area. The language region includes the local government area of the Shire of Flinders , including Dutton River , Flinders River , Mount Sturgeon, Caledonia , Richmond , Corfield , Winton , Torrens, Tower Hill, Landsborough Creek, Lammermoor Station, Hughenden, and Tangorin . Waanyi (also known as Wanyi , Wanyee , Wanee , Waangyee , Wonyee , Garawa , and Wanji)
1820-561: Is an Australian Aboriginal language in North West Queensland. The language region includes areas within the Shire of McKinlay , Shire of Cloncurry and Shire of Richmond , including the Flinders River area, and the towns of Kynuna and Richmond . Yukulta (also known as Ganggalida ) is an Australian Aboriginal language of the Gulf Country. The Yukulta language region includes the local government areas of
1911-564: Is an Australian Aboriginal language of the Gulf Country. The language region includes the western parts of Lawn Hill Creek and Nicholson River , from about the boundary between the Northern Territory and Queensland, westwards towards Alexandria station , Doomadgee , and Nicholson River. It includes the local government area of the Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee . Wanamarra (also known as Maykulan and Wunumura
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#17327727042032002-749: Is an historical building that has been registered on the Register of the National Estate and the Queensland Heritage Register . It is an air-raid shelter which could function as a hospital. It was created as a precautionary measure after Darwin was bombed in 1942. Local miners excavated the site which remains today as the only underground health facility in Queensland which was built during World War II. The Mount Isa Rodeo has been held annually since 1959. In addition to
2093-471: Is changing both grasslands and wetlands while the woodlands are vulnerable to changing fire regimes. Introduced weeds include the rubber vine . Protected areas include Staaten River National Park , Boodjamulla National Park (formerly Lawn Hill), the World Heritage fossil finds at Riversleigh , Camooweal Caves National Park and Mitchell-Alice Rivers National Park on the Queensland side. However
2184-517: Is crossed by the Savannah Way highway. The flat, savannah land has a dry season and a monsoon, containing the largest areas of native grassland in Australia. It is used for raising cattle and mining. It contains large reserves of zinc, lead and silver. The area is home to a number of endangered species and is crossed by a number of major rivers. The first known European explorer of the region
2275-541: Is estimated that 900 Kalkadoon people were killed during this six-year campaign. There is now a memorial near the site of the Black Mountain. In 1923, a lone prospector, John Campbell Miles , stumbled upon one of the world's richest deposits of copper, silver and zinc during an expedition into the Northern Territory. When Miles inspected the yellow-black rocks in a nearby outcrop, they reminded him of
2366-484: Is in memorial to the Kalkatungu tribes, who during September 1884 fought one of Australia's historic battles of resistance against a para-military force of European settlers and the Queensland native Mounted Police at a place known today as Battle Mountain - 20klms [sic] south west of Kajabbi . The Kalkadoon have been commemorated in the name of the Kalkadoon grasswren , a bird with a small territorial range confined to
2457-700: Is low (from 750 mm on the coast to 500 mm inland) but if the wet season is at all strong, low-lying areas are flooded and even the few sealed roads are cut. The Gulf is also a breeding ground for cyclones during the period between November and April. In September and October the Morning Glory Cloud appears in the Southern Gulf. The best vantage point to see this phenomenon is in the Burketown area shortly after dawn. Jirandali (also known as Yirandali , Warungu , and Yirandhali )
2548-628: Is part of the Division of Kennedy in the Australian House of Representatives . The mayor of Mount Isa, after the 2020 Local Government Elections, is Danielle Slade . The City of Mount Isa LGA jurisdiction, covering 43,188 km (2nd largest in Australia), is the 15th largest in the world in terms of area and takes in the border town of Camooweal , 188 km (117 mi) to the north-west of Mount Isa and 12 km (7.5 mi) from
2639-423: Is source of great mineral wealth such as copper, zinc, lead and silver. Mount Isa Mines includes a number of copper, lead, zinc and silver mines in Mount Isa where production began in 1931. Century Mine , Australia's largest zinc mine began operations near Mount Isa in 1997 and is expected to be exhausted by 2016. Other mines in the region include George Fisher mine , Cannington Mine and Hilton Mine . Due to
2730-497: Is supplied from Lake Moondarra, 13 km (8.1 mi) from Mount Isa, and from Lake Julius , 60 km (37 mi) from Mount Isa. As it costs approximately twice as much to supply water from Lake Julius, the water is normally drawn from Lake Moondarra. However, during periods of drought, it becomes necessary to draw water supplies from Lake Julius. The three major water users are the Mount Isa Mines , Incitec Pivot and
2821-534: The 2016 census , the town of Mount Isa had a population of 18,342 people. In the 2021 census , the town of Mount Isa had a population of 18,317 people. Mount Isa has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: 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 Legislative Assembly of Queensland , and at federal level
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2912-645: The Aboriginal Shire of Doomadgee and Shire of Mornington . The first known European explorer to visit the region was the Dutch Willem Janszoon (whose name is also written as Jansz ) in his 1605–6 voyage . His fellow countryman Jan Carstenszoon (or Carstensz ) visited in 1623 and named the gulf in honour of Pieter de Carpentier , at that time the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies . Abel Tasman also explored
3003-793: The Barkly Tableland , the Selwyn ranges and extending south to around Chatsworth, Mount Merlin and Buckingham Downs. To their east and north, were the Mayi-Thakurti (Mitakoodi) of the Cloncurry district, and next to the Maigudung tribe, according to Palmer. Walter Roth documented in some detail the intensity of indigenous trading passing through the Selwyn Range and Kalkatungu lands from Boulia to Cloncurry, which formed
3094-560: The McKinlay Range . After skirmishing with a group of Kalkatungu, they managed to corral a number, who appeared to give no resistance, into a gully nearby and post a guard over them for the night. Queensland historian Arthur Laurie suggests Beresford's error lay in "stupidly treat(ing) them like cattle". It is presumed that they had a stash of arms prepared for the occasion, and rose up, and killed Beresford and three of his men. One, though speared in his side, managed to escape and cover
3185-636: The Mount Isa region of Queensland. Their ancestral tribe has been called "the elite of the Aboriginal warriors of Queensland". In 1884 they were massacred at "Battle Mountain" by settlers and police. Kalkatung belonged to the Kalkatungic branch of the Pama-Nyungan language family , the other being Yalarnnga which was spoken to its south in the area of Djarra , in Queensland. Kalkatungu
3276-541: The Mount Isa City Council (which in turn supplies residents and smaller businesses). Due to a prolonged drought, water levels in Lake Moondarra have become very low. In April 2013, it was forecast that Lake Moondarra would be reduced to 40% of capacity by July 2013, which would trigger the need to supply additional water from Lake Julius. The increased cost to the Mount Isa Council for water
3367-536: The Wellesley Islands lie off the gulf coast. The main settlements in the region include the city of Mount Isa and the towns of Doomadgee , Cloncurry , Camooweal , Kowanyama , Karumba , Normanton and Burketown . The port at Karumba is one of Australia's main live cattle exporting ports. The oldest building in the region is the Burketown Hotel. The climate is hot with a dry season and
3458-399: The lead production in the town, Mount Isa has one of the most intensive air quality monitoring systems in Australia. Concerns have been raised over childhood lead contamination and air pollution within the region. In the Gulf Country there are no mountains to restrict rainfall to the coastal band and the transition from the coastal mangroves through Acacia stenophylla woodlands to
3549-753: The rodeo itself, there are associated street parties , music events, market stalls and family entertainment. The Rodeo Queen Quest raises money for charities; the Rodeo Queen is crowned at the Rodeo Ball. Rodeo school is available for aspiring bull riders. It is the largest annual rodeo event in the Southern Hemisphere. It is organised by the combined Rotary clubs of Mount Isa. The rodeo often features guest DJing from renowned global DJs including Ste Earley from Doncaster in England who adds to
3640-444: 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 the largest copper mining and smelting operations in the country. Copper and lead are smelted on site, with copper anodes and zinc concentrate being transported 900 km (560 mi) to the city and port of Townsville on the east coast. The lead ingots are transported to
3731-686: 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. Mount Isa's water
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3822-639: The Gulf Country is one of the largest areas of native grassland in Australia. The sandstone gorges of the Gulf Fall are home to a specific wildlife. Finally the Pellew Islands have retained original mangroves and thick woodland.. The area is home to a number of endangered species including an endemic rodent, the Carpentarian rock rat (Zyzomys palatalis) and endemic reptiles such as the Carpentarian lerista skink . The mudflats and saltpans on
3913-743: The Gulf Country, which led to the deaths of at least 600 Aboriginal people. The book won the State Records – John and Patricia Ward History Prize in the New South Wales Premier's History Awards ; the Australian Historical Association 's WK Hancock Prize ; and the Chief Minister's Northern Territory Book History Award . The 1964 Mount Isa Mines Strike was a prolonged strike between miners and management at Mount Isa Mines. The region
4004-748: The Gulf looking for Burke and Wills in 1861 and 1862. As pastoralists settled in the area there were significant clashes with local Aboriginal populations. Historian Tony Roberts has described the nature of massacres and violent encounters in the Gulf Country (part of the Australian frontier wars ) in his book titled Frontier Justice: A History of the Gulf Country to 1900 (2005). His research showed that senior colonial politicians, including former South Australian colonial premiers Sir John Colton and Sir John Downer , along with South Australian police , "masterminded, condoned or concealed... atrocities" in
4095-644: The Kalkadoon set out on one of Australia's most successful guerrilla wars, now known as the Kalkadoon Wars which took place from about 1871 to 1884. Their success continued until at Battle Mountain in 1884, when Kalkadoon people killed five Native Police and a prominent pastoralist. Only 29 Kalkadoon people survived. In response, the Queensland Government sending a large contingent of heavily armed patrols who chased surviving tribe members. It
4186-606: The Kalkadoons relentlessly in a war of retaliation, killing many. In September, a Chinese shepherd from H.Hopkins's Granada Station on the Dugald River [ de ] was speared to death in the foothills of the Argylla Ranges, and it was rumoured he had been eaten by "cannibals". Soon afterwards, an estimated 600 Kalkatungu warriors gathered on a rocky outlook to fend off the parties of well-armed settlers,
4277-525: The Kalkatungu were split into two major divisions, the Muntaba (southern) and the Roongkari (western) peoples. Frederic Urquart, who as a trooper took part in a massacre of Kalkadoon warriors, recounted their myth regarding the origins of fire. It started with a thunderbolt that set the plains on fire, as the tribe were preparing to eat raw meat. The flames swept over the camp site, and the charred meat
4368-481: The Kalkatungu. He tried to learn their language. Ernest Henry arrived in 1866, discovering, with the assistance of Kalkatungu guides, copper deposits the following year, and founded the Great Australia Mine. He successfully enlisted some Kalkatungu people to work one of these mines. A short attempt at settlement by W. and T. Brown at Bridgewater in 1874 experienced, like Palmer, no difficulties with
4459-423: The Mount Isa region was part of an expansive trade network spanning the entire Lake Eyre Basin and beyond. In particular, it was a valued source of stone for stone tools such as hand axes . In the 2021 census , the town of Mount Isa had a population of 18,317 people, making Mount Isa the administrative, commercial and industrial centre for the state's vast north-western region. Although situated in an arid area,
4550-489: The Mount Isa region, though dating is uncertain. Rock art is abundant in the region as well. It largely consists of engraved petrographs and free-painted designs; stenciled designs are rare. Rock art in the Mount Isa region varies stylistically site-by-site, and includes circular, geometric, and figurative motifs. One figurative motif particular to the Mount Isa region is the north-west central Queensland anthropomorph figure. They are usually painted one color with an outline in
4641-432: The Mount Isa stone axes, the ochre was valued for cultural reasons in addition to functional, economic reasons. This, combined with dating marking the anthropomorphs and stone axes as contemporaneous at about 1000 BP, suggests that they were all intertwined components of an extensive trade network stretching across the entire Lake Eyre Basin. Some rock art depicting figures and hands in the Mount Isa region, including some of
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#17327727042034732-570: The anthropomorphs. Mount Isa is located on the traditional land of the Kalkadoon people. The endemic language of the area was Kalkatunga (also known as Kalkadoon, Kalkadunga, Kalkatungu). The Kalkadoon people first came into contact with advancing European pastoralists and miners in the mid 1860s, following the Burke and Wills expedition to the Cape York Peninsula in 1861. As settlers and prospectors pressed further into their lands
4823-618: The area by instigating murderous assaults on the Kalkatung. Iain Davidson describes him as "the man who led the destruction of the tribes of North West Central Queensland". The traditional white heroic narrative version of what then occurred drew on the account provided by Wilmot Hudson Fysh in 1933. According to this version, the Kalkatungu were by nature a hostile and bellicose tribe, exceptionally brave with "primitive" military cunning and guerilla-like tactics of strategic withdrawals to
4914-535: The area were explorers Burke and Wills , who crossed the Cloncurry River in 1861. Though their journals make no mention of the tribe, their passing through is said to have been recorded in Kalkatungu oral history, and in their language they coined the term walpala (from "white feller") to denote Europeans. Three parties sent out to search for Burke and Wills, led respectively by John McKinlay , William Landsborough , and Frederick Walker , passed through
5005-481: The area, and the first Queensland Commissioner of Police D. T. Seymour is said to have given Kennedy a blank cheque to war down the tribe and to have dispatched the aristocratic Marcus de la Poer Beresford, a nephew of the Marquess of Waterford , as new head of the Cloncurry native police unit to that end. On 24 January 1883, Beresford camped with four of his troopers at Fullarton River [ de ] in
5096-582: The area. In March 1884, Sir Thomas McIlwraith sent Frederic Urquhart , a Sussex immigrant, employed in the Queensland Native Mounted Police Force to handle the crisis. The Kalkatungu are said to have directly challenged him to fight, via a messenger called Mahoni. Urquhart, though based in Cloncurry, set up a forward camp 25 miles outside of the town, on the Corella River [ de ] . Urquhart
5187-597: The arid scrubs of central Australia is gradual. There are up to nineteen important areas for bird migration in rivermouths along the gulf coast including the Gregory River - Nicholson River estuary and the Roper River in Limmen Bight . The patches of rainforest habitat occur in parts that are less vulnerable to the grassland fires. On the savanna dicanthium bluegrass grows tall after the monsoon rains as
5278-519: The artificial Lake Moondarra 19 kilometres (12 mi) 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". Due to the lead production in the city, Mount Isa needs one of the most intensive air quality monitoring systems in Australia. Concerns have been raised over childhood lead contamination and air pollution within
5369-422: The border of the Northern Territory . Mount Isa's industry is largely dependent on mining. Glencore 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 (12 mi) to the north at Hilton from
5460-507: The city. The Mount Isa Mines (MIM) in particular are a source of significant lead pollution . 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 had spread out, with new suburbs in
5551-409: The coast are home to waterbirds such as the magpie goose . One endemic grassland bird, the Carpentarian grasswren , is suffering as changing fire regimes (the way grasses are systematically burnt and allowed to renew) are reducing their habitat. The region is a hotspot for birdwatching . Much of the area is unspoilt vegetation but overgrazing of cattle and the introduction of feed grass species
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#17327727042035642-435: The coast in 1644. The region was later explored and charted by Matthew Flinders in 1802 and 1803. The first overland explorer in the area was the Prussian Ludwig Leichhardt who traversed the area in 1844 and 1845. He was followed by Augustus Gregory of the North Australian Expedition in 1856, and then Burke and Wills in 1861. John McKinlay , Frederick Walker and William Landsborough lead separate search parties into
5733-492: The coastal wetlands are little protected. Lawn Hill crater , an impact crater with a ring of limestone hills, is also located in the Gulf Country. Finally Barranyi (North Island) National Park is one of the Pellew Islands. 17°52′22.33″S 140°10′28.36″E / 17.8728694°S 140.1745444°E / -17.8728694; 140.1745444 Kalkadoon people The Kalkadoon (properly Kalkatungu ) are descendants of an Indigenous Australian tribe living in
5824-444: The diffusion of the Mudlunga (Molonga) ritual dance from the Georgina River . A photo exists of their men in full ceremonial raiment, dated 1895, prepared to perform their version of the dance that, within a few decades, would reach across Australia. Extensive rock art, with examples of anthropomorphic paintings, has been recorded in the Kalkatungu's Selwyn Range homeland. The nearby Mayi-Thakurti tribe occasionally reported that
5915-433: The distance, some 20 miles, to Farleigh station the following day. For a year, the Kalkatungu managed to hold sway over their tribal lands, as both settlers and the police felt intimidated by their unbeaten territorial ascendancy. According to an anonymous person writing for the Queensland Figaro , nonetheless, sometime towards the end of 1883, the native police "wilfully murdered eight blackfellows and several gins" in
6006-424: The edge of Kalkatungu country in 1864, at Conobie , on the western bank of the Cloncurry River . Decades later, he described them as a peculiar people of whom little was known. Palmer was critical of the use of native police, and interested in indigenous tribes. His station lands did not cover any Kalkatungu sacred sites, he did not object to their presence in the vicinity, and found no problem in his relations with
6097-403: The forefinger to the thumb, with all other fingers remaining extended, while flicking the wrist forward (suggestive of the hopping motion). A land snake was indicated by pointing the forefinger, while rotating the wrist and extending one's arm outwards. The Kalkatungu's traditional lands began at the heads of the Cloncurry river across the heads of the Leichhardt and Gregory Rivers , including
6188-443: The general area, and Walker, former commander of the Dawson native police , shot 12 natives dead, while wounding several more, just to the north east of Kalkatungu territory. Edward Palmer , described by George Phillips as "one of that brave band of pioneer squatters who in the early sixties swept across North Queensland with their flocks and herds, settling, as if by magic, great tracts of hitherto unoccupied country", settled on
6279-431: The global party atmosphere. In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, the Mount Isa Rodeo was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as an "event and festival". The Mount Isa parkrun is a 5 km run in Mount Isa. It starts at 7am every Saturday and is free. The event started in 2018 and has attracted tourists from across Queensland and more. The event starts at Tharrapatha Way. As at April 2018,
6370-404: The indigenous owners of the land. The Scottish settler Alexander Kennedy then took up land in the area in 1877. He had managed, since his arrival in 1861, to accumulate land holdings of some 4,800 square miles (12,000 km ), holding 60,000 cattle, and established himself in a residence he built, called Buckingham Downs . Kennedy is thought to have begun the troubles with the native peoples of
6461-408: The interior uplands into the gulf. The main land uses in the Gulf Country are beef cattle and mining. The region covers an area of 186,000 km (72,000 sq mi). The landscape is generally flat and low-lying tropical savannah cut through with rivers that carry the monsoon rains to the gulf and feed coastal mudflats and patches of rainforest. The Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands and
6552-427: The largest attendance is 102. The event caters for all types of runners of all standards. The Glencore Mount Isa Lake Moondarra Fishing Classic is held annually, and after 2011 will also be followed by a Fishing, Camping and 4x4 Expo. The Fishing Classic is the richest fresh water fishing event in Queensland. Catching the tagged barramundi fetches the greatest prize money. Mount Isa city and surrounds are serviced by
6643-410: The local constabulary and native troopers. At one point the attackers under Urquhart tried a flanking movement, which caused the assembled Aborigines to charge straight down on them, only to fall in waves under the withering fire of the muskets, called makini by the Kalkatungu. 200 are said to have died in this battle. Urquhart himself was knocked out, and this broke the back of organised resistance at
6734-415: The mountains to evade reprisals for their savagery, who were vanquished and broken after a last stand against men like Kennedy who triumphed heroically in pursuing the moral and economic progress of Queensland. In December 1878, a settler called Molvo and three of his men were killed near Cloncurry, at the important Wonomo watering hole on Suleiman Creek near Cloncurry, as they camped with their herd. This
6825-416: The north-west central Queensland anthropomorphs, have only three fingers. The reason is unclear, but it may have a connection to the later observed common practice among Kalkadoon women of amputation of the little finger. Though Mount Isa was a centre for trade, fundamental stylistic differences suggest that there was little to no artistic exchange between the Mount Isa region and surrounding regions, aside from
6916-653: The ore found in the Broken Hill mine that he had once worked at. Upon inspection these rocks were weighty and heavily mineralised. A sample sent away to the assayer in Cloncurry confirmed their value. Miles and four farmers staked out the first claims in the area. Taken with friend's stories of the Mount Ida gold mines in Western Australia, Miles decided upon Mount Isa as the name for his new claim. Mount Isa Post Office opened on 1 August 1924. A location for
7007-579: The premiere of Matthew Dewey's 'Symphony of the Inland Sea', composed for the occasion. On 5 March 2017, Mount Isa was chosen as a host city of the 2018 Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton Relay , along with Cloncurry , Hughenden , Winton and Birdsville . The baton passed through the Mount Isa CBD and suburbs and regions en route before the opening ceremony on the Gold Coast . In 2008,
7098-536: The present (BP), large, ground-edge stone axes from Mount Isa were particularly prized by the peoples of the Lake Eyre Basin. They were not only valuable tools, but valuable trade items as well, and were often traded for the tobacco plant pituri . Archaeologist Iain Davidson suggests that they were traded partly for reasons unrelated to function, as they were often sought after despite the availability of local resources. Leilira blades were also likely produced in
7189-428: The sidewalks have special memorials embedded in the cement. The burial place of John Campbell Miles , the founder of Mount Isa, is on the corner of Rodeo Drive and Miles Street. His ashes are buried underneath a large statue where each panel represents a significant part of Mount Isa. Miles' ashes used to be watched over by a large clock where the statue now stands. The World War II -era Mount Isa Underground Hospital
7280-428: The south-east and north of the city being planned or developed. Planned expansions can cater for more than 40,000 people. Long before European contact, the Mount Isa region was a centre for trade and production of dolerite and basalt stone tools and objects. There is evidence of ground-edge stone tools as old as 20,000 years, the earliest in the world, originating from Mount Isa quarries. As of about 1000 years before
7371-503: The tour was Mount Isa and while there the royals were driven to Kalkadoon Park where the royal couple witnessed a programmed event under the guidance of Ringmaster Mr. J. O’Shea. Kalkadoon Park was the original site of the famous Mount Isa rodeo. The following day, on 16 April, the Duke of Edinburgh was taken on an underground tour of the Mount Isa mine while Queen Elizabeth stayed above ground. The Marshalling Area around R62 Shaft Winder Tower
7462-485: The town's hospital was chosen in 1929, with a small building completed the following year. In 1931, a larger structure was moved to the site from the closed mining town of Kuridala. In 1970, Queen Elizabeth II , The Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Anne toured Australia including Queensland. The Queensland tour began on Sunday 12 April when the royal yacht Britannia entered Moreton Bay at Caloundra, sailing into Newstead Wharf. After visiting Brisbane and Longreach next on
7553-452: The troopers stood around that newly made forest grave and to their eyes that fresh heap mound for vengeance seemed to crave. And one spoke out in deep stern tones and raised his hand on high For every one of these poor bones a Kalkadoon shall die. The group responsible was tracked down to a gorge, where they were feasting on the cattle, and most were mowed down. Over the next nine weeks, settlers and Urquhart's police tracked
7644-682: Was Willem Janszoon . The Gulf Country is a block of dry savanna between the wetter areas of Arnhem Land and the Top End of the Northern territory to the west and the Cape York Peninsula of Far North Queensland to the east, while to the south and east lie upland plains of Mitchell grasses and the Einasleigh Uplands . The Northern Territory side of the area is the Gulf Fall area of sandstone slopes and gorges draining
7735-598: 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 December 2009. Virgin Australia (VA) began services in August 2012 and offers return services from Brisbane on weekdays. The city is served by QR passenger train The Inlander , which travels overnight to Townsville twice
7826-491: Was cleaned, and a display was set up using operational mining equipment from underground so Queen Elizabeth II could see it in action. The display was designed to demonstrate the operation of an EIMCO air powered rail mounted rocker shovel loading ore. The Mount Isa City Library opened in 1974. On 9 June 2000, the first torch relay in Queensland for the Sydney 2000 Olympics reached Mount Isa. In 2008, plans were made to build
7917-485: Was estimated to be $ 800,000 per year ($ 114 each for 7000 households). Water restrictions in the town were escalated in April 2013 to reduce water consumption. Boating on Lake Moondarra would be restricted if water levels reduced to 20% for safety reasons as the lower water levels would reveal obstructions. The fish in the lake will be at risk if Lake Moondarra falls to 10% capacity. Water has traditionally been processed using
8008-438: Was found to be tastier. An old woman was sent to track the fire and fetch it back, and brought back a blazing stick. Charged with being the fire-keeper, she loyally watched over it for years, until a flood washed out the camp-fire. She was exiled until she could retrieve the secret of fire and, failing to do so, in rage rubbed two sticks together , a flame kindled, and she won back entry to the tribe. The first Europeans to visit
8099-426: Was galvanized into action in August on hearing from a native boy, Jackie, who came in and reported that his employer James White Powell of Calton Hills, some 60 miles west of Cloncurry, at Mistake Creek, had been speared to death. Powell was a partner of Kennedy's, and the latter, together with Urquhart and A.F. Mossman from White Hills station buried Powell, with Urquhart composing a poem vowing vengeance: Grimly
8190-417: Was spoken around Mount Isa, Queensland. Nothing is known of a third language Wakabunga sometimes thought to have had a genetic relation to the other two. Remnants of the language collected from the last native speakers by Barry Blake allowed the rudiments of the grammar and the language to be reconstructed. According to Robert M. W. Dixon there is a 43% overlap in vocabulary existed with Yalarnnga but with
8281-696: Was the starting point, in indigenous history, for Kennedy and other settlers in the district joining forces with native troops under Inspector Eglinton stationed at Boulia to war down the native tribes of the region. Subsequent to this incident, scores of Kalkatungu in the surrounding hills were shot down. Over the following years, the Kalkatungu gained a reputation among graziers for tactical wiliness both in resisting police and settler forays against them, and in harvesting cattle found on their lands. Kennedy pulled strings in Brisbane to get reinforcements that might guarantee greater immunity for people and property in
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