The North West Star believes there are many grounds for optimism for a great year ahead for the region.

These last few years have been tough times at Glencore’s Mount Isa copper smelter but there was a great Christmas present when the Queensland Government made a $15 million offer of support to rebrick the smelter, at a total cost of $30m, extending the life of the smelter and providing economic stimulus in construction.

The news comes as many mining analysts predict copper to be the best performing commodity of 2017 with a pick-up in Chinese imports (responsible for almost half of global copper demand) and infrastructure demands with financial forecasters Goldman Sachs lifting its 3, 6 and 12-month forecasts to over $US6200 a tonne.

Increasing prices will boost investment opportunities at other copper mines in the region too, bringing much needed money and jobs to the North West.

There will be recruitment opportunities in 2017 at the Mount Gordon mine site north of Mount Isa as Capricorn Copper brings the operation back online, expected to be in the third quarter of the year.

The new owners have confirmed Mount Isa will be the focus of recruitment efforts and they had also indicated they would look to the city as a supply hub.

These and other mining projects will be showcased in May when the MINEX exhibition returns to the city. 

The good news doesn’t stop at Mount Isa.

Cloncurry is expected to throw a big party for its 150^th birthday later in the year, with the Q150 steam train arriving in town in time for the Cloncurry Show in June and a week of celebrations planned for September.

With production ramping up at Cudeco and Dugald River also in a major construction phase, an exploration area opened up on the Dajarra Road and high prices underpinning the region’s beef prices this could be a watershed year for the Curry.

The North West Star wishes readers a happy and proseperous new year and looks forward to telling the region’s good news stories in 2017.