The annual Meeting of the Mines has attracted the biggest names in Queensland metals to Cloncurry.

The four-day conference runs from September 9 to 12 at the Cloncurry Shire Council Precinct.

South African miner Harmony Gold headlines the program, with an update on its Eva Copper development north of the town.

Harmony chief development officer Johannes van Heerden will speak to the company’s experience building Eva and the lessons for the region’s next generation of projects.

Harmony this month lifted its Eva mineral resource estimate to 2.01 million tonnes of contained copper and 591,000 ounces of gold.

The upgrade followed the company’s FY26 exploration and resource-definition drilling, with 155 holes drilled for 29,560 metres along the Blackard-Legend trend.

Harmony has targeted first production in the second half of 2028.

Phosphate Hill’s new owners are also presenting.

The fertiliser operation south of Mount Isa faced questions over its future after previous owner Dyno Nobel (ASX: DNL) moved to exit.

The site has contended with low commodity prices and transport reliability issues.

Main image: The road to Phosphate Hill from Cloncurry.

In July, the Albanese and Crisafulli governments announced a jointly funded $160 million loan facility to secure ongoing operations under new owner Ryowa.

Related: Ryowa ready for Phosphate Hill’s next chapter

Around 500 staff are employed on site, with another 50 at the acid plant.

Evolution Mining’s (ASX: EVN) Ernest Henry mine, just north of the town, leads the afternoon presentations.

Chief operating officer Matt O’Neill will describe how Ernest Henry helped the company pivot to a long-life, diversified portfolio.

The audience is set to hear plans to extend the mine’s life.

South32’s (ASX: S32) Cannington mine has produced silver, lead and zinc since the late 1990s and ranks among the world’s largest silver and lead mines.

Two politicians with deep regional ties feature on the program.

LNP senator Susan McDonald, whose family holds extensive grazing interests in the region, is among them.

Her grandfather, Sir George Fisher, was a former chairman of Mount Isa Mines.

Member for Traeger and Katter’s Australian Party leader Robbie Katter will lead an afternoon session.

The Katter family has represented state and federal seats in the North West over three generations.

Federal Assistant Minister for Resources Anthony Chisholm and Queensland Natural Resources and Mines Minister Dale Last, the member for Burdekin, also feature on the program.

They are supported by senior bureaucrats, including Queensland Coordinator-General Gerard Coggan.