The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed another long-standing Mount Isa business at least temporarily.
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The Thingodontas Den at West St has been a fixture of Mount Isa for 24 and a half years but now owner Toni Neville has been forced to close its doors on Thursday.
Thingodontas is a souvenir and gifts shop and a mostly solo operation but with the tourist traffic dried up due to COVID-19 restriction, Ms Neville said she has been forced to close - for now.
"I'm only closing temporarily, just while this virus is on," Ms Neville said.
"I rely on the tourists who come through in numbers during the season."
Ms Neville said she was of an age when she was supposed to self isolate anyway.
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"So I have permission from my landlord to board the premises up," she said.
"I have things in there like glass that could be smashed otherwise. There's also maps and paintings."
Ms Neville had delayed a decision to close hoping things might improve by June but when she saw the Mount Isa Mines Rodeo in August had been cancelled she knew there would be no tourists in town this year.
"There is absolutely nothing on," she said.
"It was bad for us in 2008 after the GFC but it wasn't as bad as this."
"But I'll be back when all this is over."
Ms Neville said the unusual name of the shop comes from when she started the business at Outback at Isa naming it for an extinct marsupial called a thingodonta found at Riversleigh.
"I just kept the name when I came down to West St," she said.
"It's been a good talking point."
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
