MORE THAN just a country town, Mount Isa is an outback centre with all the charm of the bush and the comforts of the city.

Mount Isa is Queensland’s largest provincial city west of the Great Dividing Range and is home to 23,500 people who come from more than 50 different nations.

Mount Isa has long been a multi-cultural community. The mining activity in the region attracted people from many nations from its earliest years as a raw frontier town, and it is this blend of nationalities that has given ‘The Isa’ a cosmopolitan character that sets it aside from many other outback centres.

The city is set against the backdrop of the Selwyn Ranges and is dominated by the sprawling Xstrata Mount Isa Mine with its 270m exhaust stack from the lead smelter. Xstrata Mount Isa Mine is the nation’s deepest underground mine and is still the largest single producer of copper, silver, lead and zinc in the world.

From the popular surface tours at the mine to the inspirational interpretation of Australia’s ancient past at the multi-award-winning Riversleigh Fossils Centre, the city’s attractions are numerous.

The biggest attraction, Outback at Isa, is a ‘home in the outback’ for visitors and a great spot to start when discovering Mount Isa.

Other popular venues and activities include the Royal Flying Doctor Base, School of the Air and barramundi fishing at Lake Moondarra. The lake is regularly restocked with barramundi fingerlings, so try your luck.

Mount Isa also has a range of shopping facilities, including major chain stores. There are great opportunities for fine dining as well, with The Buffs, the newly renovated Isa Hotel’s Rodeo Bar and Grill, Livingstone’s Restaurant with its spectacular views and coffee houses including Coffee Club and Gloria Jean’s.

The twin jewels in Mount Isa’s crown are the spectacular Lawn Hill Gorge and its neighbour, the Riversleigh Fossil Fields, both of which can be accessed from Mount Isa.

Mount Isa is also known as the rodeo capital of Australia as it is home to the largest rodeo in the Southern Hemisphere. This year’s rodeo will be held from August 6 to 8. There’s action and excitement galore, so be there!