Mount Isa Underground Hospital and Museum

The first hospital in Mount Isa was a row of tents operated by the company from the earliest years of mining operations. Mount Isa Mines opened a 40 bed Community Hospital on the leases in 1929. Eventually another hospital was built on the Hospital reserve in town.

With the expanded hospital complex it was realised with two competing hospitals and funding for both that neither could be run efficiently and residents were encouraged to use the state run hospital. The mine hospital was effectively reduced to a casualty and first-aid station.

With the advent of World War II the impact on Australia was not great until the bombing in 1942 of Darwin. The work on defending the top end of Australia caused the influx of thousands of American troops into Northwest Queensland from April 1942. With the bombing of the Darwin Hospital, precautions were taken to protect the Mount Isa district hospital in the event of an air raid.

It was decided to excavate a large air-raid shelter, designed to function as a fully equipped underground hospital, on the hospital reserve. The underground hospital was excavated by miners working in their spare time and at the weekends. It was equipped with both male, female and maternity/children's wards, a surgical theatre and a delivery room.

Once a week there was an air-raid drill, when nurses and orderlies wheeled less-seriously-ill patients up the gravel path to the hospital. Fortunately no Japanese bombers ever came to Mount Isa. Eventually the air-raid drills stopped, but the hospital remained in use for less urgent purposes.

The hospital administration decided to put a mesh trapdoor over the middle entrance and at a meeting in 1995 it was decided to conserve and develop the underground hospital as a tourist attraction.

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Facilities

  • Access With Assistance for the Disabled
  • Car park
  • First aid equipment
  • Guide
  • Public Toilet
  • Sheltered Area
  • Toilet facilities for the Disabled
  • Tour Desk

Experiences

  • Historic/Heritage
  • Outback
  • Underground

Our Location

Joan Street
Mount Isa
Queensland 4825

Postal Address
N/A