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Moura ~ Queensland
Moura is a rural town in central Queensland, 593 km northwest of Brisbane. It is known as “The Coal and Cattle Centre of the Dawson Valley,” and its major industries are coal mining, cotton processing, wheat and sorghum growing.
When we visited Moura, we wandered around the town centre, saw the murals, and visited the Miner's Memorial. We also wandered around the Rotary Park and saw the Mining Machinery and Water Tank art. Then, we drove to see the Meridian Marker, Dawson Mine, the Dawson River, and Banana.
The town centre has cafes, hotels, a supermarket, a post office and lovely colourful murals on the walls.
The Moura Miners Memorial was established in November 2018 and is dedicated to all those who lost their lives on the Moura—Kianga coalfields, their families, friends, workmates, and the community.
For almost six decades, coal mining has been pivotal to Moura, and during this time, a total of 36 lives have been lost from three separate incidents. Underground mining ceased in 1994, and the mine is now an open-cut coal mine.
We then wandered around Rotary Park, which has picnic shelters, toilets and BBQs. There is also a selection of old mining equipment, including a dragline bucket. Each piece of equipment has an information board with interesting facts.
Near Rotary Park is an 18-metre-high water tower with a lovely mural of a pink galah painted by Brisbane artists Sam Wilkinson and Xana Denruyter in 2018.
The 150th Meridian marker is located on the outskirts of Moura and is an intangible line that measures Eastern Standard Time. Two large rocks sit side by side, and if you look through the holes and line them up, you’re standing in the direct path of the meridian.
The Dawson Mine Viewing Platform is a short drive from Moura. It offers incredible views over the large open-cut coal mine. You can climb up the platform to see the scale of the mine and watch the dump trucks driving around.
Dawson Mine is located at the Southern End of the Bowen basin and exports an average of 4 million tonnes of coal each year.
The Apex Park at the Dawson River is a popular fishing, boating, and camping area 10 kilometres from Moura.
Eighteen kilometres west of Moura is the small town of Banana. The town was named after a yellow-coloured bullock that would help herd wild cattle into the holding yards. You can see a replica of Banana the Bullock in the park.
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