Business
16 April, 2025
Mount Isa motel tumbles for new service station
Work has finally begun on the old Copper City Motel site.
Demolition of the former Copper Gate Motel has begun, with Mount Isa motorists likely to see a new Australian-owned petrol station on the site by Christmas.
A 20-tonne excavator began pulling down sections of the old motel at the one-acre block earlier this week while another crew in hazmat suits worked on bagging asbestos at two of the remaining buildings prior to demolition.
Site supervisor Trent Styler said more than 200 tonnes of debris would be relocated from the Marian Street site to the Mount Isa Waste Management Facility in the coming weeks.
“We have asbestos removal underway which should be completed in the next day or two,” he said.
“Then there are boys coming in from Townsville to conduct the full demolition of the site after Easter.
“We have got another 35-tonne excavator coming in to help out alongside two semi-trailers and side tippers to do the removal to the local tip.
“I think about two weeks after Easter this entire site will be cleared.”
Mr Styler said he was in discussions with a range of local contractors to contribute to the construction of the new petrol station site, which would cater to trucks and cars and be operated by Australian-owned Solo Energy Corp.
“We want to use as much local labour as possible. There has got to be fuel tanks put in underground, all the underground plumbing has to be done and there are canopies sitting in two shipping containers to be installed,” he said.
“It was meant to start in March, but with that solid rain and road closures, it has been delayed.
“We have scheduled this to be an eight-month project – the boys are making a strong start, so we are hoping we can just get stuck in now.”
