Moranbah | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Moranbah Water Tower at sunset, 2011 | |||||||||||||
  Moranbah | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates:22°00′06″S148°03′12″E / 22.0016°S 148.0533°E /-22.0016; 148.0533 (Moranbah (town centre)) | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Queensland | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
| Location |
| ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 3,038.9 km2 (1,173.3 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Elevation | 249 m (817 ft) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 9,425 (2021 census)[2] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 3.10145/km2 (8.0327/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Time zone | UTC+10:00 (AEST) | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 4744 | ||||||||||||
| Mean max temp | 29.7 °C (85.5 °F) | ||||||||||||
| Mean min temp | 16.7 °C (62.1 °F) | ||||||||||||
| Annual rainfall | 614.2 mm (24.18 in) | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Moranbah is a coal mining town andlocality in theIsaac Region,Queensland, Australia.[3][4] In the2021 census, the locality of Moranbah had a population of 9,425.[2]
In addition to the permanent population, Moranbah also has a largefly-in fly-out population working in Moranbah's mines: in excess of 1,500 as at 2011.[5]
ThePeak Downs Highway betweenMackay andClermont passes through the south of the locality; the town is 11.9 kilometres (7.4 mi) north of the highway via the Moranbah Access Road.[6]
Moranbah Airport is also on the Moranbah Access Road, 7.3 kilometres (4.5 mi) by road of the town (22°03′37″S148°04′31″E / 22.0602°S 148.0752°E /-22.0602; 148.0752 (Moranbah Airport)).[7][8]
Moranbah experiences a subtropicalsemi-arid climate (Köppen: BSh) with hot, relatively wet summers and very mild, dry winters with cool nights.[9]
| Climate data for Moranbah (21º59'24"S, 148º01'48"E, 260 m AMSL) (1986-2012 normals and extremes, rainfall to 1972-2012) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 45.0 (113.0) | 41.1 (106.0) | 40.4 (104.7) | 36.0 (96.8) | 33.9 (93.0) | 31.9 (89.4) | 31.0 (87.8) | 36.4 (97.5) | 38.0 (100.4) | 40.5 (104.9) | 42.7 (108.9) | 42.5 (108.5) | 45.0 (113.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 33.9 (93.0) | 33.1 (91.6) | 32.2 (90.0) | 29.6 (85.3) | 26.5 (79.7) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.6 (74.5) | 25.5 (77.9) | 29.3 (84.7) | 32.3 (90.1) | 33.1 (91.6) | 33.9 (93.0) | 29.7 (85.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.9 (71.4) | 21.8 (71.2) | 20.2 (68.4) | 17.6 (63.7) | 14.2 (57.6) | 11.1 (52.0) | 9.8 (49.6) | 11.1 (52.0) | 14.1 (57.4) | 17.6 (63.7) | 19.4 (66.9) | 21.1 (70.0) | 16.7 (62.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 14.9 (58.8) | 15.5 (59.9) | 14.3 (57.7) | 6.0 (42.8) | 5.0 (41.0) | 1.1 (34.0) | 0.2 (32.4) | 3.0 (37.4) | 5.4 (41.7) | 10.8 (51.4) | 11.9 (53.4) | 15.0 (59.0) | 0.2 (32.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 103.8 (4.09) | 100.7 (3.96) | 55.4 (2.18) | 36.4 (1.43) | 34.5 (1.36) | 22.1 (0.87) | 18.0 (0.71) | 25.0 (0.98) | 9.1 (0.36) | 35.7 (1.41) | 69.3 (2.73) | 103.9 (4.09) | 613.0 (24.13) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 6.5 | 6.4 | 3.9 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 3.1 | 4.9 | 5.9 | 43.4 |
| Average afternoonrelative humidity (%) | 43 | 48 | 41 | 43 | 43 | 44 | 39 | 35 | 30 | 31 | 34 | 38 | 39 |
| Averagedew point °C (°F) | 17.3 (63.1) | 18.2 (64.8) | 15.7 (60.3) | 13.8 (56.8) | 11.2 (52.2) | 8.8 (47.8) | 7.0 (44.6) | 6.7 (44.1) | 7.6 (45.7) | 10.5 (50.9) | 12.7 (54.9) | 15.4 (59.7) | 12.1 (53.7) |
| Source:Bureau of Meteorology (1986-2012 normals and extremes, rainfall to 1972-2012)[10] | |||||||||||||
The first European to explore the region wasLudwig Leichhardt in January 1845, and the area was first settled bypastoralists in the 1850s.[11]
Moranbah was established in 1969.[11] 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) onFour Corners, an investigative news program, exploring the effects of Australia's various mining booms on local rural communities.[12]
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.[13][14]
Moranbah Post Office opened on 1 March 1971.[15]
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.[16] 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.[17]
In 2021, the town celebrated its 50th anniversary with four days ofjubilee celebrations, held across theLabour Day long weekend from 30 April 2021 to 3 May 2021.[18] The event had been earlier postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[18]
In the2011 census, the locality of Moranbah had a population of 8,965.[19]
In the2016 census, the locality of Moranbah had a population of 8,735.[20]
In the2021 census, the locality of Moranbah had a population of 9,425.[2]
Moranbah services thePeak Downs Mine,Goonyella Riverside Mine, Broadmeadow Mine, Grosvenor Mine,[21]Olive Downs mine,Moranbah North coal mine,North Goonyella coal mine 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 theIsaac Regional Council.[22][23]
Moranbah State School is a government primary (Early Childhood to Year 6) school for boys and girls at Belyando Avenue (21°59′54″S148°02′52″E / 21.9984°S 148.0478°E /-21.9984; 148.0478 (Moranbah State School)).[24][25] 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).[26] It includes aspecial education program.[24]
Moranbah East State School is a government primary (Prep–6) school for boys and girls at 4 Williams Street (22°00′18″S148°03′48″E / 22.0051°S 148.0633°E /-22.0051; 148.0633 (Moranbah East State School)).[24][27] 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).[26]
Moranbah State High School is a government secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at Mills Avenue (22°00′01″S148°03′34″E / 22.0004°S 148.0594°E /-22.0004; 148.0594 (Moranbah State High School)).[24][28] 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).[26] It includes a special education program.[24]
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,[29] AFL, hockey, tennis, off-road racing, motocross and a BMX club.[citation needed]
Isaac Regional Council operates a public library located at Grosvenor Complex, Batchelor Parade, Town Square.[30]
The Moranbah branch of theQueensland Country Women's Association meets at the QCWA Meeting Room at Town Square.[31]
Churches in the town include:[citation needed]
Sporting facilities in the town include:[citation needed]
The following people were born in, or have lived in, Moranbah:
