Moora is a townsite located 177 km north of

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

in the Wheatbelt region of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. At the , Moora had a population of 1,591.

History

Moora was one of the original stations on the Midland railway line to Walkaway, and the townsite was gazetted in 1895.

Natural disasters

The town was left underwater in 1932 when heavy rainfall inundated the town, causing severe flooding. The town was left isolated as both rail lines and roads had portions washed away. Over half the town was submerged to a depth of , and once the waters receded, was left under a thick coating of mud. Crops and stock in the surrounding area were also lost. In March 1999, the town suffered a major

flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

when ex-Tropical Cyclone Elaine caused the Moore River to break its banks, with 1000 people evacuated. Just as the community was recovering, another major rainfall event on the already saturated land in May of the same year caused yet another flood in the town.

Economy

The town is the largest wheat belt town between

Geraldton Geraldton (Wajarri language, Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu language, Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West (Western Australia), Mid West region of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. As of the , Geraldt ...

and Perth, and the third largest overall after the coastal settlements of Dongara and Jurien Bay. The town provides facilities and services such as

commercial bank A commercial bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and gives loans for the purposes of consumption and investment to make a profit. It can also refer to a bank or a division of a larger bank that deals with whol ...

s, schools, commerce and retail sectors, community recreational facilities; plus a pharmacy, dentist, doctors and district hospital. Surrounding the town are several rural activities such as the growing of wheat, barley,

canola file:CanolaBlooms.JPG, Close-up of canola blooms file:Canola Flower.jpg, Canola flower Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both Edible oil, edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several ...

, oaten hay and

lupin ''Lupinus'', commonly known as lupin, lupine, or regionally bluebonnet, is a genus of plants in the legume family Fabaceae. The genus includes over 199 species, with centres of diversity in North and South America. Smaller centres occur in No ...

s, as well as the raising of sheep, cattle and pigs. A silica mine is located 15 km north of the townsite. The town is a receival site for Cooperative Bulk Handling.

Education

Moora is home to the Central Midlands Senior High School, Moora Primary School and St Joseph's School (SJSM)—a Catholic

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

school.

Recreation

The Moora Agricultural Show is held every year in September, and includes a full equestrian program, fireworks, fashion parade, entertainment and exhibits. The Moora Cup Race Day is one of the biggest events on Moora's social calendar and is held every year in October. Many tourist attractions can be found around the Moora District, ranging from the Western Wildflower Farm to the abundance of hand-painted murals and the Moora Town Clock. As such, Moora is often a popular stopover for tourists en-route to holiday destinations and those following the wildflower trail.

Environment

Moora lies within the Moora Important Bird Area, declared by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

because it supports up to 60 breeding pairs of the

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

Carnaby's Black Cockatoo.

Climate

Notable residents

Musician Paul Harding from electronic music group

Pendulum A pendulum is a device made of a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced sideways from its resting, equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate i ...

attended Moora Primary School.

Gallery

Image:St James church.jpg, St James Anglican church Image:Moora Shire offices.jpg, Shire council offices and garden Image:Moora visitors centre.jpg, Visitors centre garden Image:Australian Draughthorse Memorial.jpg, Australian Draughthorse Memorial Image:Moora Post Office, 2016.JPG, Moora post office

References

External links

Shire of Moora

CMAS Moora Show
{{Authority control Towns in Western Australia Wheatbelt (Western Australia) Grain receival points of Western Australia