Range of Celebrations for Mount Isa’s 100th Birthday

Mount Isa is officially turning 100 on February 23, 2023, and to celebrate, Mount Isa City Council is hosting a range of community events on the day.

As part of Mount Isa Day, Council will host a free Mount Isa Day morning tea for all residents and guests at the Civic Centre from 9am.

There people will also have a chance to meet Tania Kernaghan and former Mount Isa resident Craig “Macca” McGowan, who will be compering the morning tea as well as the evening event.

A four-time Golden Guitar winner, Tania is a legend of Australian country music and, with Macca, has been hosting the popular Network Ten caravanning and camping lifestyle program What’s Up Downunder for more than eight years. She has also toured regional Queensland with her concerts and performed at the Isa Rodeo on several occasions.

The morning will feature the launch of the Mount Isa City Library’s long-awaited Isa In Images project, which involves the digitisation of thousands of historical photographs of Mount Isa.

This will be a great chance to catch up with other Mount Isa residents and share stories about the history of the city.

Mount Isa’s premier tourist attraction, Outback at Isa, will also be doing its bit for the celebration, offering specialised Hard Times Mine underground tours on February 23 and 24, as well as at various other times throughout the year to correspond with key moments of the 100 Year Celebrations.

There will also be free entry to Splashez Aquatic Centre on February 23, from 4pm-7pm, and all day on February 24, to mark the anniversary.

An official opening of the recently upgraded Family Fun Park (and the surrounding precinct) will take place in the afternoon.

That evening from 6pm at Kruttschnitt Oval there will be free entertainment, live music, and a bar, as well as community stalls and family fun, culminating in a gala fireworks display later that night.

The Mount Isa Day event is proudly sponsored by Mount Isa Mines.

“It will be a time to reflect, pay tribute to our great pioneers and also honour the area’s Traditional Owners, the Kalkadoons, who have taken care of pristine country for 65,000 years,” Mayor Danielle Slade said.

“The morning tea will be important for our older generation, who may not be able to get to Kruttschnitt Oval on the evening.

“I want to thank Cr Peta MacRae for chairing the Mount Isa 100 Years Committee and all those community members who contributed to it, but this event is only the beginning.

“It doesn’t matter if you were born here or have been here for five minutes, you are now part of our great history and 2023 will be a year of celebrating Mount Isa and our wonderful community.”

In 2023, Mount Isa will celebrate 100 years since the discovery of lead and silver by mining prospector John Campbell Miles that led to the establishment of Mount Isa Mines and the Mount Isa community. On February 23, 1923, Campbell Miles lodged his claim with the Assay Office, and this date is now commemorated as Mount Isa Day.

Friday, February 24, 2023, has been designated a special (or bank) holiday to help the community celebrate this remarkable milestone. The special holiday will apply to schools and some government departments; businesses can elect to be remain open on that day if they so choose. Penalty rates do not apply for special holidays.