Community
4 June, 2025
It's official – Drover to find a new home at RFDS base
Councillors voted to donate the iconic plane to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
The iconic De Havilland “Drover” plane in George McCoy Park is staying in Mount Isa.
The aircraft will soon be relocated to the new Royal Flying Doctor Service and LifeFlight base at the Mount Isa Airport.
Last week, Mount Isa City Council voted unanimously to donate the plane to the Flying Doctors, with the RFDS to cover the costs of the plane’s relocation and restoration.
“I’m really excited to see the ‘Drover’ relocated to our new base at the airport,” said RFDS Queensland CEO Meredith Staib.
“The aircraft has been a feature of the Mount Isa community since the ’80s and symbolises the important work carried out by the RFDS across the region.
“I look forward to seeing the plane as part of our new Visitor Experience Centre when it opens later this year.”
The Drover is a composite made of two separate aircraft – one that was wrecked at Austral Downs Station in 1957, with the other wrecked on Mooraberree Station, south-east of Bedourie, in 1952.
The two wrecks were brought to Mount Isa in 1979, where they were restored, used to create a single aircraft, and hoisted up onto poles at George McCoy Park in 1981, thanks to the efforts of members of the Lions, Rotary, and Apex clubs, as well as Mount Isa Mines.