Advisory Committee for Future Lake Moondarra Tourism Opportunities

Council will soon be seeking expressions of interest from members of the community who would like to be a member of the upcoming Lake Moondarra Advisory Committee.

The decision was made at Council’s Ordinary Meeting on Wednesday, October 20, where Council also agreed to adopt the Assessment of Commercial Tourism Opportunities at Lake Moondarra report, which the advisory committee will also revise.

The revision of the original report – which was created in 2016 and funded through the Mount Isa Townsville Economic Zone (MITEZ) organisation – will help to determine more uses and commercial tourism opportunities for Lake Moondarra that will add value to the local economy and increase visitation.

The study was put together to investigate commercial tourism development options at the Lake Moondarra Recreation Area.

Consultation and a site assessment conducted at the time determined the recreation area has the resources necessary for sustainable commercial development and has the potential to attract double visitation numbers within 12 months of implementation of several business initiatives.

The proposed advisory committee will help to establish additional uses for the lake, catering for varied target markets that will add value to the local economy and enhance visitation, as well as revisit the recommendations in the 2016 report.

It’s anticipated that members of the advisory committee will provide advice and recommendations to Council, which Council will then consider and, where possible, seek to obtain funding from the State or Federal government to make the identified projects a reality.

Mayor Danielle Slade said she encouraged residents who have an interest in local tourism – particularly at Lake Moondarra – or in expanding the tourism potential and opportunities at the lake to put their names forward for possible inclusion in the advisory committee.

“Lake Moondarra is the tourism and recreation jewel of the Mount Isa area and it would be wonderful to see that side of it built on and enhanced even more,” Cr Slade said.

“While the original assessment is now a few years old, it would be pertinent to revisit the recommendations contained within it to see which projects or works could still be carried out and how, which will help in moving forward with future proposals for the site.

“It’s important to keep in mind that the Mount Isa Water Board is the trustee for Lake Moondarra and as such has a different role to that of Council.

“We envision that the Board will have the opportunity to provide feedback on potential projects and will need to consider the impact of any potential projects.”