General News
26 March, 2025
Northern Australia tour guides up-skill in Mount Isa
Savannah Guides hosted a field school at Outback at Isa over several days last week.
A gathering of tourism professionals from across Australia has shone a light on the burgeoning tourism potential of Mount Isa and the North West region, particularly in the realm of Indigenous tourism.
Savannah Guides, a leading provider of tour guide training, held its 83rd field school in Mount Isa last week, marking its first ever event in the region.
“It was fantastic to come, and I’m sure it won’t be the last,” said Russell Boswell, the founder of Savannah Guides.
The event drew 40 participants from as far as the Kimberley, Torres Strait and Melbourne, showcasing the broad interest in northern Australia’s tourism sector.
The field school featured a range of workshops focusing on essential guiding skills, including storytelling, digital tool usage, bird watching, and plant identification.
However, a significant emphasis was placed on highlighting local tourism offerings.
Participants had the opportunity to experience attractions like the Mount Isa Underground Hospital and Outback at Isa, which were lauded as “first-class attractions”.
“So now all of our people can go away as ambassadors for Mount Isa,” Mr Boswell explained, highlighting the event’s goal of promoting the region to a wider audience.
Savannah Guides included excursions to Lake Moondarra and bird watching at Tom O’Hara Park.
Mr Boswell said a key focus of the venture was the growing importance of Indigenous tourism.
“We had 12 Indigenous operators from around the country and also local Indigenous guides. They’re giving us, I think, what we need in Australia, this re-connection to Country and a realisation about the depth of those cultures, because in many places it has been an untold story,” he said.
“So tourism is a vehicle to get those messages out there.”
Mr Boswell also addressed the importance of drive routes, such as the Savannah Way and Matilda Way, in connecting regional destinations.
Exciting developments, like the recovery of Adele’s Grove (Wugadarji) from recent floods and the re-opening of Boodjamulla National Park, were highlighted as key factors in boosting tourism in the corridor north of Mount Isa.
“We’re really hoping that they’re now going to take big strides forward and be able to get back to the glory days of the past,” Mr Boswell noted, emphasising the potential benefit to Mount Isa, Cloncurry and other communities in the region.
