Mt Isa’s rodeo saddles up and grows into a $10 million festival
The outback city of Mt Isa expects multimillion-dollar injection as its famous rodeo shifts gears next month into a nine-day festival.
The Mt Isa rodeo is now part of a nine-day festival (photo supplied)
Last year, when it included an indigenous rodeo to expand it to four days, the event generated more than $10 million for the state’s economy. Expectations were for that to be exceeded as it becomes a nine-day festival which will include a ball and a street festival.
Last year’s event was responsible for more than 33,000 visitor nights in Mount Isa, with most of these nights from intrastate visitors who travelled more than 40km from their home.
In 2022, the first-ever Mount Isa Mines Indigenous Rodeo Championships was held the day before the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo. Research found that this event generated direct and incremental expenditure of $1.3 million to the Queensland economy.
Mt Isa Rodeo chief executive Natalie Flecker said they were significant numbers and the power of rodeo was undisputed as a major drawcard for Outback Queensland.
“Importantly, the research also highlighted the incredible sense of pride the event brings to the region, and this year we are looking forward to celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the city of Mount Isa, as part of the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo Festival.,” she said.
“What does it take for this robust, mining town to host the largest rodeo in the southern hemisphere and one of Queensland’s major tourism events for the year? It takes incredible community support, hard work, perseverance, an enormous logistics operation, passion, positive energy and a determination that no matter what challenges lay ahead, we will never lose sight of the vision forged by our rodeo founders, a group of visionary Rotarians.”
Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo was a highlight on the It’s Live in Queensland event calendar and provided a significant boost to the Outback region.
The street festival, to be held on August 9, would also include singer Darryl Braithwaite. The indigenous rodeo would also return on August 10 before the full rodeo on August 11.
Rock band The Angels would also play at the festival, along with Jessica Mauboy, the Screaming Jets, O’SHEA, Furnace and the Fundamentals and Luke Geiger.
