The History of Moura
Research:Poppy Hayden, Moura Historical Society
The gazebo at Bicentennial Park.
- A popular picnic spot
for travellers and locals alike.
The town of Moura has had a somewhat chequered history.
Selected by Charles Marshall in 1854, the Moura lease was eventually settled by Edward Homer, John Broadbent and Daniel Williams in 1874.
During the 1920's the government had plans to develop a major irrigation scheme on the Dawson. Moura was one of five zone to be developed. The Castle Creek zone (renamed Theodore) was begun in 1924 and the rail line from Baralaba completed in 1927. However plans to build the Nathan Dam were abandoned with the advent of the Great Depression. The small Theodore farming blocks proved unviable and the scheme was abandoned.
The first Kianga Creek Bridge was completed in 1944, followed by the first Moura Weir (of timber construction) in 1946. In 1952, the Moura lease was resumed to make way for eight larger ballot blocks.
Coal Mining
The township of Moura experienced its greatest growth phase in the early 1960's with the advent of coal mining.
BHP Mitsui Coal Pty Ltd began operation in Moura in 1961, making this one of the longest-established coal mining ventures in Central Queensland. In 1968, the Moura to Gladstone rail link was established, greatly enhancing export capabilities from Moura. The mine is currently a joint venture of Anglo Coal Australia and Mitsui Coal Holdings, and stretches from Theodore to as far North as Baralaba. The coal deposit is also a rich source of coal seam methane which provides the feedstock for Queensland Nitrates, a major ammonium nitrate plant, located to the East of Moura.
Cotton
Cotton has been grown in the Dawson valley since the 1930's, but increased production led to Queensland Cotton building a cotton gin in Moura in 1998.
Early Beginnings
Aborigines had lived in the Dawson Valley for thousands of years before European settlers arrived in 1854. It is believed that Charles Marshall, who originally selected the lease, named his property Moura, after the town in Portugal where he had served in the British Army during the Peninsular Wars. Charles Marshall soon disposed of Moura, and it was another twenty years of speculative trading before Edward Homer began to develop the property. Photos of his workman's cottages and the homestead he built in 1880 can be seen in the Moura Museum.
With Thanks to Moura Information Centre
Moura has experienced three tragic underground mining disasters which brought great sadness to the town. Thirteen men were killed at Kianga on September 20 1975 and the Kianga Memorial Centre on McArthur Street was built in memory of those lost in the explosion. The bronze miner statue in Bicentenary Park on the Dawson Highway is a memorial to the 12 men who died on July 16th 1986 in number 4 underground. On August 7 1994, 11 men were lost in an explosion at the No. 2 pit. A 50metre Moura Miners Memorial Pool was built to remember these men. All underground mining ceased after the disasters, the last of which prompted a major re-write of Queensland Mines Safety legislation. The Moura Miners Memorial pool opened its gates to the public in 1998 and was officially opened by Queensland Premier Peter Beattie in 1999.
Author:Poppy Hayden December 29th, 2007
Did you know that all street names in Moura, except for one were named after people connected with Moura's history? "Moura's Streets Tell Their Story" can be purchased for $15 at the Moura Information Centre in Gillespie Street.