General News
2 July, 2025
Tourists engaged first-hand on the outskirts of town
An effort is being made to bring tourists into the city by talking to them directly.
If you’ve ventured along the Barkly Highway lately, you would have noticed the growing number of caravans parked up at free sites outside of Mount Isa.
Sunset Tourist Park’s Kylie Rixon is doing her bit to try and encourage them to venture into the Outback city and spend their money in town.
She’s teamed up with Bell and Moir Toyota, who have provided a new LandCruiser 70 Series so she can venture to some of the popular sites, including Mary Kathleen.
“I wanted to go to the rest stops out of town and encourage people to come in,” Ms Rixon said.
“We’ve got a bit of reputational damage because of youth crime, so I wanted to give people the opportunity to hear from a local about what it's like in town.
“I take all the information out to them. I can book tours for them and give them the Mount Isa Visitor’s Guide as well.
“Basically, I want to tell people how good the place is and to not dismiss Mount Isa over rumours. It is a safe place, but you do need to make sure you lock up at all times.”
Bell and Moir Toyota’s Lee Pulman said he was pleased to be able to lend a helping hand.
“We’ve known Kylie for a number of years and she’s all about promoting tourism, Mount Isa, and anything that helps Mount Isa, we want to be a part of,” he said.
“With Kylie going out to Dajarra and off-road places, she needs to have reliability.
“There’s nothing more reliable than a Toyota.”