Moranbah


Moranbah is a town and locality in the Isaac Region, Queensland, Australia, located on the Peak Downs Highway between Mackay and Clermont. It is a coal mining town and at the 2016 census had a population of 8,735. In addition to the permanent population, Moranbah also has a large fly-in fly-out population in excess of 1500 who work in Moranbah's mines. Moranbah services the Peak Downs Mine, Goonyella Riverside Mine, Broadmeadow 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 the Isaac Regional Council.

History

The first European to explore the region was Ludwig Leichhardt in January 1845 and settled by pastoralists 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. The town has been featured twice on Four Corners, an investigative news program, exploring the effects of Australia's various mining booms on local rural communities.
Moranbah Post Office opened on 1 March 1971.
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.
In the Moranbah had a population of 8,965 people.
In the Moranbah had a population of 8,735 people.
Approximately 100,000 workers have been employed in coal mining over Moranbah's 50 year history.

Recreation

Moranbah is a thriving community. 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.
Isaac Regional Council operates a public library located at Grosvenor Complex, Batchelor Parade, Town Square.
The Moranbah branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the QCWA Meeting Room at Town Square.
Peak Range National Park is located to the west of the town.

Notable people

The following people were born in, or have lived in, Moranbah:
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 above that of Brisbane. Since then, housing prices and accommodation rentals have returned to much more affordable levels.

Churches