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 2011 census had a population of 8,965. 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 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 (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.
Moranbah Post Office opened on 1 March 1971.
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.
Peak Range National Park is located to the west of the town.
Notable people
Notable people from the town include singer Clint Boge and professional Rugby League players such as Josh Hannay, Clinton Schifcofske, Travis Norton and Shane Marteene. As well as Olympic Gymnast Larrissa Miller .
Cost of living
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.