Moura, Queensland
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Moura is a rural town and
locality Locality may refer to: * Locality, a historical named location or place in Canada * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localitie ...
in the
Shire of Banana The Shire of Banana is a Local government in Australia, local government area located in the Capricorn region of Queensland, Australia, inland from the regional city of Gladstone, Queensland, Gladstone. The shire was named after the first townsh ...
in
Central Queensland Central Queensland is an imprecisely-defined geographical division of Queensland ( a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton. The region extends from the Cap ...
, Australia. It services the surrounding coal mining and rural activities. It is situated approximately west of
Biloela Biloela ( ) is a rural town and suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Shire of Banana, Central Queensland, Australia. It is the administrative centre of the shire. In the , the locality of Biloela had a population of 5,692. The loc ...
on the
Dawson Highway The Dawson Highway is a state highway in Queensland, Australia. It runs for between Gladstone, Queensland, Gladstone and Springsure, Queensland, Springsure where it terminates. From Gladstone to Rolleston, Queensland, Rolleston it is signed as ...
, west of the port city of
Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he ...
, and south west of
Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite. The Scottish- ...
. In the , the locality of Moura had a population of 1,993 people.


Economy

A number of industries are represented in the local economy. Chief amongst these is
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...
mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...
. The name of the local coal mine changes each time it is sold, currently Dawson coal mine, owned and operated by AngloAmerical Coal. Only open-cut mining has been used since 1994.
Beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...
,
cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
and
cereal A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize ( Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, ...
s are other major industries of the area.


History

In 1854 Charles Marshall named his leased pastoral selection ''Moura''. There are two theories regarding the origin of the name. One is that it is named after Moura in Portugal where he served in the British Army during the Peninsular Wars. The other is that it is an Aboriginal word meaning ''native camp dog''. The Moura property was developed into a homestead in 1880 by Edward Homer. The town was first established in 1936 as a farming centre near the existing Moura Station. The Moura Post Office opened in late 1939. Moura Provisional School was opened on 10 September 1940. It became Moura State School on 1 January 1948. In 1965 a secondary department was attached to the school. By 1975, there were sufficient secondary students to warrant a formal high school and so Moura State High School was opened on 25 January 1976 with 263 pupils.


Mining disasters

There have been three mining disasters that have occurred near Moura: *The first was the Kianga mining disaster occurring due to an explosion in the underground workings of the Kianga No. 1 mine on 20 September 1975, claiming 13 miners' lives.Moura Disaster Reports
Andrew Hopkins, ''Managing Major Hazards – The Lessons of the Moura Mine Disaster'' On 11 March 1978, a memorial centre was officially opened in Moura to commemorate the disaster. *The second, on 16 July 1986, was an explosion in the Moura No. 4 underground mine, claiming twelve miners' lives, the youngest miner being 18. *The third was an explosion in the Moura No. 2 underground coal mine on 7 August 1994. Rescue and recovery attempts were abandoned after a second, more violent explosion occurred 18 hours later. Eleven miners' lives had been lost and the mine was sealed at the surface. After 1994, underground mining ceased and the area was operated as an open-cut coal mine. In November 2017, a routine blast in the mine resulted in ground movement leading to a "circular geotechnical failure" that resulted in a crack through a public access road across the open pit. The road had been a key access and freight route for farmers and graziers to reach the town of Moura, including a school bus route. The road remained closed in February 2018 and was expected to remain unstable indefinitely. The company had conducted improvements to a southern detour route, and consulted with the community about a viable long-term alternative. A new route was proposed which would cross the pit further north, but was expected to take 15 months to complete construction.


Demographics


Climate

Average yearly Rainfall: 732mm, raining an average of 63 days per year. The average summer temperature is 32 degrees Celsius (with temperatures in excess of 36 degrees Celsius a common occurrence during Dec-Jan). The average winter temperature is 22 degrees Celsius.


Education

Moura State School is a government primary (Early Childhood-6) school for boys and girls at Gillespie Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 242 students with 21 teachers (18 full-time equivalent) and 21 non-teaching staff (12 full-time equivalent). It includes a
special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...
program. Moura State High School is a government secondary (7-12) school for boys and girls at Gillespie Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 172 students with 19 teachers (17 full-time equivalent) and 21 non-teaching staff (14 full-time equivalent).


Attractions


Miners Memorial

A statue of a miner commemorates the Moura Underground No. 4 mine disaster. It was unveiled on 6 July 1986. It is on the Dawson Highway (). It was sculpted by Diana Webber.


150th meridian

The
150th meridian east Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number) *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music *Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album), 2007 * ''15'' (Phatfish album), 2008 * ...
, located just outside Moura, is popular among tourists as well as local residents to have their picture taken in the exact path of the longitude line. Rocks with drill holes have been lined up to represent the exact angle and location of longitude line.


APEX Park (river)

The APEX park is situated next to the Dawson River and is located west on the Dawson highway. The APEX park has free camping grounds with facilities such as hot showers, a traditional wood barbecue, toilets and lawn for the afternoon picnic. It also has a public boat ramp.


Museum

The Moura Museum and Information Centre is located at 33 Gillespie Street. The museum presents Moura's agricultural and industrial history. A set of Japanese collectables provided by the Mitsui Mining Company are on display.


Culture, Events and Festivals


Muddy Water Classic

Moura Muddy water classic is a fishing competition held annually on the 3rd weekend in February at the APEX park on the Dawson River. It brings many people from the surrounding areas for the local fishing competition.


Campdrafting

Moura hosts an annual campdraft in July.


Coal and Country Festival

The Coal and Country festival is held every year in the third week of August for seven days. The festival holds events like coal shovelling and a professional rodeo. It is often held on the weekend of the third week with festivities beginning on the Friday afternoon and ending on the Sunday. It is held at the recreational grounds where cattle yards and large spaces are easily available


Facilities

The
Banana Shire Council The Shire of Banana is a local government area located in the Capricorn region of Queensland, Australia, inland from the regional city of Gladstone. The shire was named after the first township in the region (Banana), which in turn was named af ...
has an administrative office in Gillespie Street. It operates a library at MacArthur Street. The town also has many shops, including banks, post office, video store, grocery store, newsagent, beauticians, hairdressers, butcher, service station, electrical, furniture and hardware store and many more. Moura also has numerous sporting clubs (golf, bowls, squash, football) as well as eateries and restaurants. There is also a RSL and Memorial (now closed) club for socialising.


Facilities

Moura Cemetery (also known as Moura Lawn Cemetery) is at 126 Theodore Moura Road (). It is managed by the
Banana Shire Council The Shire of Banana is a local government area located in the Capricorn region of Queensland, Australia, inland from the regional city of Gladstone. The shire was named after the first township in the region (Banana), which in turn was named af ...
.


Town Twinning

* Moura, Portugal


References


External links


University of Queensland: Queensland Places: MouraMining town casts its memories in Bronze
The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet daily newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964. As the only Australian daily newspaper distributed nationally, its readership of b ...
19 October 1987
Bronze reminder of a disaster
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
8 April 1988
As Moura mourns the loss of 11 miners, a colleague reveals how he cheated death
New Idea ''New Idea'' is a long-running Australian weekly magazine aimed at women, now published by Are Media. History The magazine was first published in 1902 by Fitchett Bros. The founder was Thomas Shaw Fitchett. It was subtitled A Women's Home Journal ...
, 1994
Moura Chamber of Commerce Community Web Site
{{authority control Mining towns in Queensland Towns in Queensland Shire of Banana 1936 establishments in Australia Populated places established in 1936 Localities in Queensland