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Australia’s deepest copper mine falls silent after 70 years with hundreds of jobs lost in Queensland

The mine operator said it was no longer financially viable and the closure would result in the loss of 500 jobs.
Liam Bland and Katharina LoescheBy Liam Bland and Katharina Loesche

Mount Isa's historic copper mine is set to close

Mount Isa's historic copper mine is set to close

Australia’s deepest copper mine falls silent after 70 years with hundreds of jobs lost in Queensland

The mine operator said it was no longer financially viable and the closure would result in the loss of 500 jobs.
Liam Bland and Katharina LoescheBy Liam Bland and Katharina Loesche

Miners will emerge from underground for the final time, marking the end of an era shaping Mount Isa’s identity.

After seven decades of digging almost two kilometres beneath the earth, the deepest copper mine in Australia will fall silent with its final shift set to surface shortly after midnight on Thursday, July 31.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Mount Isa’s historic copper mine is set to close

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Mine operator Glencore said it was no longer financially viable to continue digging deeper in the far northwest Queensland city, resulting in the layoff of 500 workers.

Most have declined offers of redeployment within the Swiss mining giant and will leave the company entirely.

For generations, this mine has been the beating heart of Mount Isa.

Decades of copper extraction helped transform Mount Isa from a remote outpost into a thriving outback hub.
Decades of copper extraction helped transform Mount Isa from a remote outpost into a thriving outback hub. Credit: 7NEWS
Beneath Mount Isa, miners carved out a labyrinth of tunnels that stretched for kilometres.
Beneath Mount Isa, miners carved out a labyrinth of tunnels that stretched for kilometres. Credit: 7NEWS

The red dirt town’s mining story began in the 1920s, with the first prospectors camping in tents on the edge of the outback.

While they originally searched for lead and silver, a rich seam of copper uncovered in the 1930s transformed the region into one of the country’s most important mining hubs.

Throughout World War II, Mount Isa’s copper supply was critical to Australia’s efforts overseas.

Over the following decades, the mine produced hundreds of millions of tonnes of ore powering the economy and supporting thousands of local jobs.

In the 1960s and 70s, the industry boomed, with long queues of jobseekers hoping to get a foot in the shaft.

By the 1980s, the city had become a beacon of mining excellence.

More than 19,000 people call Mount Isa now home. About one in three rely on the mining complex for work.

Tents mark the first mining camp at Mount Isa in the 1920s, as fortune-seekers arrived to unearth riches from the rugged outback.
Tents mark the first mining camp at Mount Isa in the 1920s, as fortune-seekers arrived to unearth riches from the rugged outback. Credit: 7NEWS
Miners navigate narrow tunnels in one of Australia’s deepest copper operations.
Miners navigate narrow tunnels in one of Australia’s deepest copper operations. Credit: 7NEWS
Miners in the 1930s laid the foundation for what would become one of Australia’s most iconic resource towns.
Miners in the 1930s laid the foundation for what would become one of Australia’s most iconic resource towns. Credit: 7NEWS
During World War II, Mount Isa’s copper became a vital export, helping to fuel Australia’s overseas operations.
During World War II, Mount Isa’s copper became a vital export, helping to fuel Australia’s overseas operations. Credit: 7NEWS

Glencore, which operates a copper smelter in Mount Isa and a refinery in Townsville, is warning these facilities could soon be placed into “care and maintenance,” which would put additional 600 hundred jobs at risk.

The company has told shareholders the operations could lose billions in the years ahead.

Mount Isa Mayor Danielle Slade, along with other North Queensland leaders, is currently in Canberra lobbying for a taxpayer-funded multi-billion dollar support package to help cushion the blow.

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