Moranbah is a town in Queensland, Australia, located on the Peak Downs Highway between Mackay and Clermont, in the Isaac region. It is a coal mining town and at the 2011 census had a population of 8,626. The town was established in 1969. In addition to the permanent population, Moranbah also has a large itinerant population in excess of 1500. Moranbah services the Peak Downs Mine, Goonyella Riverside Mine, Broadmeadow Mine, Moranbah North Mine and several other smaller mines in the region.
History
The first European to explore the region was Ludwig Leichhardt in January 1845 and settled by pastoralists in the 1850s.
Moranbah was rapidly expanded in the late 1970s by the Utah Development Company to house mine workers. The town has been featured twice (once in 1977 and again in 2012) on Four Corners, an investigative news program, exploring the effects of Australia's various mining booms on local rural communities.
Recreation
Moranbah is a growing community. For a small regional town it offers a diverse range of sports and entertainment facilities including a skate park, library, public swimming pool, rugby league, AFL, hockey, tennis, off road racing, motocross and a BMX club.
- Category:
- Local business