Young People Buy Homes in Mount Isa

By Abbey Halter

Your Say

Topic: Young People

Thu 6 Aug 2026 at 7:04am

The Scott family has chickens, ducks, and dogs in their home in Mount Isa.

In short:

Mount Isa is a city in Queensland with a young population.

Many young people move to Mount Isa for jobs and to buy homes.

What's next?

But there are not many new homes being built, which makes it hard for people to get government help to buy a home.

Mount Isa has a young population with a median age of 31 years old.

This is lower than the median age of all Australians, which is 38.

The city has many job opportunities, which attracts young people.

High pay, low costs

Emma Scott, 31, lives in Mount Isa with her four children and many pets.

Our best stories start with listening to yours.

Emma moved to Mount Isa as a teenager and met her partner, Layne Creer.

She is not surprised that Mount Isa has a young population.

There are many jobs in Mount Isa that require young people, like nurses and teachers.

Emma has no plans to leave Mount Isa.

The couple bought their first home about a year ago.

They bought a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home for under $350,000.

The Scott family loves the rodeo scene.

Their friends on the coast pay double in rent what they pay in mortgage repayments.

The couple did not get any government grants to buy their home.

The median house price in Mount Isa is about $312,000.

The Scott family was able to buy a home for under $400,000 without government help.

But a lack of new builds can make it hard for people to get government assistance.

There were only five new private dwellings built in Mount Isa since 2022.

Emma still plans to stay in Mount Isa.

Emma's children attend school in Mount Isa.

She thinks there should be help for people to buy homes in rural areas.

By living in Mount Isa, they are keeping the community alive.

New outback builds

Sarah Horner-Glister, 30, is about to buy a new home in Mount Isa.

She thinks people should not be excluded from a grant just because they buy an older home.

Sarah grew up in Brisbane but moved to Mount Isa five years ago.

She was only planning to stay for a short time, but she fell in love with the city.

Your Say

Topic: Petrol Prices

Topic: Women

Topic: Housing Policy

But now Sarah wants to make Mount Isa her home.

She has two cats and a partner, Jake Foschi.

Sarah's story is not unique, many people move to Mount Isa and stay.

Mount Isa is home to many young families.

People come to Mount Isa to work, but they end up staying and buying homes.

Sarah and her partner plan to buy a home for under $300,000.

They will use a 5% deposit and buy a demountable home.

Sarah thinks it's hard for young people to buy homes in cities like Brisbane.

The outback city of Mount Isa has a famous rodeo.

Even the mayor

Peta MacRae moved to Mount Isa 30 years ago as a young teacher.

Now she is the mayor of the city.

The city is proud of its young community.

The community is young, vibrant, and full of opportunities.

But the property market can be affected by mining prices.

Peta MacRae has lived in Mount Isa for 29 years.

There are still options for people who want to buy homes in Mount Isa.

The government thinks that houses in Mount Isa are cheaper, so people don't need a grant.

But if people buy a cheaper home, they might miss out on help in the future.

Mount Isa has about 19,000 residents.

The state minister for home ownership said 50% of grants are for rural areas.

The mayor thinks Mount Isa's future is bright.

She thinks it's a great place to buy property.

ABC North West Qld — local news in your inbox

See more ABC coverage in your search results

Promotion

Latihan mendengarkan