A brass statue of a miner commemorating the Moura Underground No 4 Disaster in 1986.

Moura
Mining town with a tragic history of major mining accidents.
Located 192 km west of Gladstone and 676 km north-east of Brisbane via the Burnett Highway, Moura is a small town servicing the surrounding rural and coalmining interests. It calls itself 'The Coal and Cattle Centre of the Dawson Valley' and this mixture of activities has ensured that, unlike most coalmining centres in Queensland, the town has not developed as a typical company town for miners.

The other major local enterprise is visually broadcast to the surrounding district. Huge grain silos (the second-largest in Queensland) are located at the eastern end of town and can be seen from a considerable distance.

Moura was laid out in 1936 on a typical grid pattern. At the time it was literally a farming service centre imposed on to the existing Moura station.

The nature of the town changed dramatically with the development of the Kianga - Moura coalfield in the early 1960s. Moura became the camp for the miners although, even today, there is a temporary campsite near one of the mines on the road between Moura and Banana.

In 1967 the open-cut coal operation was using the largest operating dragline in the world - a huge piece of equipment capable of moving 200 tonnes of coal at a time. By 1968 the coalfields were the largest in Queensland and coal was being railed out to Gladstone on the coast.

Although Moura gives the appearance of a typical Central West rural settlement it is easy to find evidence of its involvement with coal. The playground which lies on the northern outskirts of the town features a giant cog and a huge shovel (which would be twice the size of the average child) as part of its play equipment.

At the southern end of the town is a brass statue of a miner commemorating the Moura Underground No 4 Disaster in which 12 miners lost their lives on 16 July 1986. The youngest of the miners was only 18 years old. It is appropriately located outside the Ambulance Station.

This was the second major mining accident to hit the area. On 20 September 1975 13 miners were killed in an explosion in a mineshaft near the town. Unbelievably, this tragically accident-prone town endured a third disaster on 7th August 1994 when 11 miners were killed in an explosion at the main BHP mine.

Things to see:  

Statue
At the southern end of the town is a brass statue of a miner commemorating the Moura Underground No 4 Disaster in which 12 miners lost their lives on 16 July 1986. The youngest of the miners was only 18 years old. It is appropriately located outside the Ambulance Station.

This was the second major mining accident to hit the area. On 20 September 1975 13 miners were killed in an explosion in a mineshaft near the town. Unbelievably, the tragically accident-prone mining town endured a third disaster on 7th August 1994 when 11 men were killed in an explosion at the main BHP mine.

Mine Tours
Private visits to the Moura mine can be made by prior arrangement with the manager, tel: (07) 4997 2888. The Moura Taxi Service conduct daily tours of the mine, which depart from the Eat Retreat Cafe at 10 am and 1 pm each day, tel: (07) 4997 1861.

	Motels
	Burradoo Motel Dawson Hwy Moura QLD 4718 Telephone: (07) 4997 1588 Rating: ***
	Hotels
	Coal and Cattle Hotel/Motel Dawson Hwy Moura QLD 4718 Telephone: (07) 4997 1511 Rating: **
	Caravan Parks
	Moura Caravan Park Dawson Hwy Moura QLD 4718 Telephone: (07) 4997 1432 Rating: **
	Restaurants
	Karinya Kangoola Restaurant Dawson Hwy Moura QLD 4718 Telephone: (07) 4997 1828