Moranbah is a coal mining town and

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...

in the

Isaac Region The Isaac Region is a local government area located in Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia created in March 2008 as a result of the report of the Local Government Reform Commission released in July 2007. In the , the Isaac Region had a po ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. In the , the locality of Moranbah had a population of 9,425. In addition to the permanent population, Moranbah also has a large

fly-in fly-out Fly-in fly-out is a method of employing people in remote areas by flying them temporarily to the work site instead of relocating employees and their families permanently. It is often abbreviated to FIFO when referring to employment status. This i ...

population working in Moranbah's mines: in excess of 1,500.

Geography

The

Peak Downs Highway The Peak Downs Highway links the towns of Mackay, Queensland, Mackay and Clermont, Queensland, Clermont in the Australian state of Queensland. It represents the main link between Queensland's Whitsunday Islands, Whitsunday Coast and the Central ...

between

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airport ...

and Clermont passes through the south of the locality; the town is north of the highway via the Moranbah Access Road.

Moranbah Airport Moranbah Airport is an airport serving Moranbah, Queensland, Australia. It is located south of Moranbah and operated by BHP Mitsubishi Alliance, a coal mining company. Overview The airport averages 40 QantasLink flights each week, most of ...

is also on the Moranbah Access Road, by road of the town ().

Climate

Moranbah experiences a subtropical

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of se ...

( Köppen: BSh) with hot, relatively wet summers and very mild, dry winters with cool nights.

History

The first European to explore the region was

Ludwig Leichhardt Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt (; 23 October 1813 – ), known as Ludwig Leichhardt, was a German explorer and naturalist, most famous for his exploration of northern and central Australia.Ken Eastwood,'Cold case: Leichhardt's disappearanc ...

in January 1845, and the area was first settled by

pastoralists Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as "livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The anima ...

in the 1850s. Moranbah was established in 1969. The town was rapidly expanded in the late 1970s by the Utah Development Company to house mine workers. It has been featured twice (once in 1977 and again in 2012) on

Four Corners Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. Most of the Four Corners regio ...

, an investigative news program, exploring the effects of Australia's various mining booms on local rural communities. Moranbah State School opened on 1 January 1971 with a secondary department, which became Moranbah State High School on 25 January 1976. Moranbah East State School opened on 27 January 1981. Moranbah Post Office opened on 1 March 1971. In 2011, the Queensland Government's Office of Economic and Statistical Research reported Moranbah as the most expensive place to live in the state of Queensland. The study compared the cost of goods and services such as rent, electricity and household fuels in regional areas, to those in Brisbane and found Moranbah in first place with a housing index at 65 per cent higher than that of Brisbane. Since then, housing prices and accommodation rentals have returned to much more affordable levels. For example, the median house price in Moranbah between September 20203 and August 2024 was $350,000. In 2021, the town celebrated its 50th anniversary with four days of

jubilee A jubilee is often used to refer to the celebration of a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term comes from the Hebrew Bible (see, "Old Testament"), initially concerning ...

celebrations, held across the

Labour Day Labour Day is an annual day of celebration of the labour movement and its labor rights, achievements. It has its origins in the trade union, labour union movement, specifically the Eight-hour day movement, eight-hour day movement, which advoca ...

long weekend from 30 April 2021 to 3 May 2021. The event had been earlier postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Demographics

In the , the locality of Moranbah had a population of 8,965. In the , the locality of Moranbah had a population of 8,735. In the , the locality of Moranbah had a population of 9,425.

Economy

Moranbah services the

Peak Downs Mine Peak Downs Mine is a large open cut coking coal mine in Queensland located 31 km SSE of Moranbah. Peak Downs is one of seven mines in Bowen Basin owned by BHP Mitsubishi Alliance, Australia's largest coal miner and exporter. Production ...

Goonyella Riverside Mine Goonyella Riverside Mine is a large open cut coking coal mine in the Bowen Basin. It is one of many coal mines in Central Queensland, Australia and is located at Moranbah about 30 km north of the township. The mine produced 12.4 millio ...

, Broadmeadow Mine, Grosvenor Mine, Olive Downs mine,

Moranbah North coal mine The Moranbah North Coal Mine is a coal mine in the Bowen Basin at Moranbah Moranbah is a coal mining town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Isaac Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Moranbah had a p ...

North Goonyella coal mine The North Goonyella Coal Mine is a coal mine located in the Bowen Basin at Moranbah, Queensland, Moranbah in Central Queensland, Australia. The mine has coal reserves amounting to 175 million tonnes of Coke (fuel), coking coal, one of the la ...

and several other smaller mines in the region. Although one of the newest towns in the region, its central location and large population has made it the seat of the

Isaac Regional Council The Isaac Region is a local government area located in Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia created in March 2008 as a result of the report of the Local Government Reform Commission released in July 2007. In the , the Isaac Region had a po ...

. Approximately 100,000 workers have been employed in coal mining over Moranbah's 50-year history.

Education

Moranbah State School is a government primary (Early Childhood to Year 6) school for boys and girls at Belyando Avenue (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 567 students with 42 teachers (37 full-time equivalent) and 31 non-teaching staff (19 full-time equivalent). It includes a

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

program. Moranbah East State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 4 Williams Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 605 students with 35 teachers (34 full-time equivalent) and 30 non-teaching staff (18 full-time equivalent). Moranbah State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at Mills Avenue (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 654 students with 56 teachers (55 full-time equivalent) and 30 non-teaching staff (23 full-time equivalent). It includes a special education program.

Amenities

For a small regional town it offers a diverse range of sports and entertainment facilities including a skate park, library, public swimming pool, soccer, rugby league, golf course, AFL, hockey, tennis, off-road racing, motocross and a BMX club.

operates a public library located at Grosvenor Complex, Batchelor Parade, Town Square. The Moranbah branch of the

Queensland Country Women's Association The Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is the Queensland chapter of the Country Women's Association in Australia. The association seeks to serve the interests of women and children in rural areas in Australia through a network of loca ...

meets at the QCWA Meeting Room at Town Square. Churches in the town include: * Assembly of God ("Oasis Life") * Uniting Church * Catholic Church * Anglican Church * Christian Fellowship Church

Sport

Sporting facilities in the town include: *Rugby Union – Moranbah Bulls who compete in the Mackay Rugby Union competition. *

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

– Moranbah Bulldogs. Established in 1976, the Senior Club boasts 5 Premierships. In 1977, 1978 and 2014 in the Mackay AFL, and in 1985 and 1986 in the now defunct Central Highlands AFL. The Bulldogs currently participate in the

AFL Mackay AFL Mackay is an amateur Australian rules football competition formed as the Mackay Australian Football League in 1970. It is headquartered in the city of Mackay, Queensland, Mackay with further clubs in Airlie Beach, Queensland, Airlie Beach a ...

competition in a 7 club competition and are the most recent Premiers. *

Rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

– the club competes as the Moranbah Miners in the Mackay & District Rugby League competition, fielding teams in three adult grades as well as a number of junior teams in the Mackay Junior League competition. Previously the club competed as the Sharks in the Central Highlands competition against teams from Dysart, Blackwater,

Middlemount Middlemount is a rural town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Isaac Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Middlemount had a population of 1,899 people. It is nicknamed the "Giant Peanut" by some locals du ...

, Tieri,

Emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr., and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991). ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York ...

, Clermont and

Bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New ...

. *Soccer – Moranbah Hawks *Netball *Indoor Volleyball *Squash *Cricket (during summer season) *Social water polo *Touch Football league *Gymnastics *Gun Club *BMX *Athletics Club *Golf *Crossfit

Notable residents

The following people were born in, or have lived in, Moranbah: * Clint Boge – musician *

Josh Hannay Josh Hannay (born 11 January 1980) is an Australian professional rugby league coach who is an assistant coach of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks in the NRL and assistant coach of the Queensland rugby league team. He is also a former professional ...

(born 1980) – professional rugby league player; born in Moranbah * Kaylee Kimber (born 2003) – Australian rules footballer * Shane Marteene (born 1977) – professional rugby league player; born in Moranbah *

Larrissa Miller Larrissa Miller (born 12 July 1992) is an Artistic gymnastics, artistic gymnast who represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics, 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. She made her Australian Senior National Championship debut in 2008, and went ...

(born 1992) – gymnast, Australian Olympian in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

and

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

; born in Moranbah * Travis Norton (born 1976) – professional rugby league player *

Clinton Schifcofske Clinton Schifcofske (born 10 November 1975), also known by the nickname of "Choka", is an Australian former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer. During his career, he played for the Crusaders in the Super League. as well as the ...

(born 1975) – professional rugby league & rugby union player; born in Moranbah * Dennis Scott (born 1976) – professional rugby league player; born in Moranbah

References

External links

Moranbah

Isaac Regional Council

University of Queensland: Queensland Places: Moranbah

Queensland Small Towns Documentary Project 2013: Dalby and Moranbah

State Library of Queensland State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...

{{authority control Mining towns in Queensland Towns in Queensland Central Queensland Isaac Region 1969 establishments in Australia Populated places established in 1969 Localities in Queensland