Mount Isa

Mount Isa is a town in rural Australia close to the centre of Queensland. It has a population that is estimated to be as much as 40,000 people, yet it is not a city, for much the same reasons that Alice Springs is not a city - because it increases its popularity if it remains officially a town. Mount Isa is comparatively bigger, both in terms of population and area.

Mount Isa is the cornerstone of a lot of mining activity and is also a common stop between Brisbane and Darwin, both for planes and road travel. It is also used as a stop between Brisbane and Cairns, if going inland.

Because of the mining and travel relationship of the town, the town is incredibly transient. There is a lot of money to be made but few people stay for long. It is not generally thought of as a tourist town, however, unlike Cairns, Darwin or Alice Springs, which are similarly transient. Mount Isa also has a reasonably big aboriginal population, and includes Torres Strait Islanders from the nearby Torres Strait.