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Moranbah
2.3(9 reviews)

Moranbah, QLD 4744

2.3(9 reviews)

Ranked 7th best suburb by locals in Mackay (Greater) Region, QLD

Great for

  • Parking
  • Lack of traffic
  • Parks and recreation
  • Neighbourly spirit
  • Safe and sound

Not great for

  • Public transport
  • Nightlife
  • Cost of living

Who lives here?

  • Families With Kids
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Retirees
  • LGBTQ+

Reviews of Moranbah, QLD

"Mining town that’s getting worse with time"

- the woman/wives are worse then any men here
- when it comes to shops you have coles, 2 pharmacies, 2 doctors surgeries that don’t bulk bill, a target country that is closing down, a dress shop in town square that doesn’t exactly have the best fashion, a hospital that will always ask why you didn’t go to your gp prior to presenting unless you have a severed limb, a couple of places to eat and quiet a few parks that you can use half of the year as it’s way to hot during the summer time.
- unless you are in mining it’s not worth it as living expenses are ridiculous
- if you suffer with any sort of mental health issues this town has no psychologist or councillors so expect a 2.5 hour drive to Mackay or talk to someone over Telehealth and still be out of pocket.
- very clicky town that talks about everyone regardless if they know you or not.
- A lot of older ladies who this they are the Oprah’s of Moranbah and talk to everyone like they are meaningless.
- to get a decent job you need to know someone to get in, unless you are over qualified for the position.
- raising a family with nothing to do does take its toll, the town is a bit of a ghost during school holidays as everyone wants to get away.
- personally have felt more depressed and feel like I can not trust most people as you tend to let someone in and then everyone knows your business.
- Most locals are quiet judgemental and seeking any help from the community centre in town is like pulling teeth. They are a Centrelink agent however like to direct you to mackay is they either don’t like you or heard things about you (experience from quiet a few people I have meet). There’s nothing worse then having individuals unqualified for their jobs working in a position that needs qualifications however they are unable to gain qualified staff that are willing to live here with the wages that are offered, so tend to settle with what they can get.

1
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Looking for a home in Moranbah?

"Full of people living in a Closet"

Not a place to be with children & lack of infrastructure contributes to drug , drinking culture.

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"Great if you are in the mines"

Moranbah is for the mining industry, no qualms about it. For a regional mining town, it actually isn't that bad compared to surrounding towns. There are some old houses but plenty of new developments being built. The retail is a bit hit and miss. Coles occasionally runs out of food, as does Red Rooster and KFC. There is only Coles for food shopping, no IGA/Woolworths/Aldi but that is set to change in the future with the development of Ted Rolfe oval. Domino's is mostly miss than hit unfortunately but Subway is pretty good. There are 3 hairdressers, 2 jewelers, several banks, Target Country, Rockmans, EB Games, several gift stores, 2 news agencies, Mr Toys, Video Ezy, Brumbies, a sports store, fruit and veg store, Post Office, butcher, Prices Plus, rural supplies store incl pet store, Mitre 10, medical centre, physio, optometrist, fish and chip shop, Retravision, 2 Chinese restaurants, 2 pubs, an adult store, sign-making store, burger/pie store, vet clinic, mechanic, laundry mat, training centre, dry cleaners, library, nearly built aquatic centre with swimming pool, Telstra store, motel restaurant and 5 servos.

The theatre at the community centre has impressed me several times. There are plenty of families with kids riding bikes, people jogging and walking and socialising outdoors.

High rental prices and bad behaviour at the pubs by FIFO workers is starting to degrade the feel of the town. I moved here 12 months ago and even I can tell it's getting worse. Once the new retail developments are built, it will give families and people like my partner and I somewhere nice to go spend time after work than resorting to the pub for a bit of nightlife. They tell me people are bored in this town and I know at times I am but as soon as more people move here once the new developments are built, the nightlife that familiesand professionals will like will be able to be sustained.

What the town needs:
Another supermarket for variety, competition and availability
Telecommunication tower and retail store for Optus
An alternative to pub nightlife eg reopen Cinemas
A car yard (Toyota or Holden judging by everyone's cars)
More childcare facilities
TAFE
McDonalds
Proper Airport
Nice restaurant like The Swag in Middlemount
Ribs/Pizza/Pasta/Salad restaurant would be awesome (Nandos would be the ultimate..)

Lastly, surprisingly there is a growing LGBTI community in Moranbah. For a town in regional QLD I am happily surprised to see some diversity out here. Maybe not enough for a parade but still good on you Moranbah!

Great for

  • No traffic congestion
  • Sense of community

Not great for

  • Night activities that aren't the pub
  • Decent retail options
  • Airport is a joke
  • Activities outside of sport
  • Dining out

Who lives here?

  • Families with kids
  • LGBT+
  • Country Lovers
1
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"Childcare nightmares"

One thing to mention about Moranbah. If you plan to come here and work with babies or toddlers, ring around the childcare centres first. At the moment there is no childcare available at all. I planned to come here with my fiance and work but now have to stay home with my toddler as there are no spaces at the 2 nurseries and the childminders are also fully booked. The waiting lists are around 20 children long. It seems totally ridiculous that the authorities cannot provide sufficient childcare for this town!

Not great for

  • No Childcare
  • Housing
  • Rent
1
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"Great place to live and raise a family"

My family and I have lived in Moranbah for the last four years and could`t imagine a better place to live and raise children, its safe, friendly and relaxed. Moranbah is a thriving regional metropolis positioned 2 hours drive from the amazing Whitsundays. There is a great sense of community, you seldom go to the shops without recognizing or chatting with someone you know. As in most regional towns there is a great deal of sport played and it seems as though everyone is involved in one sport or another, if the parents are`nt then their children are!. The majority of the towns people are employed by large multinational mining companies. These companies have work place agreements to pay for the vast majority of the workers rent or supply enormous cash incentives for those employees who prefer to own their own homes.
The Mining companies invest a great deal of money in providing infrastructure and facilities for the community. We have state of the art sporting and educational facilities, modern hospital, major shops like Coles and Target as well as the usual fast food outlets,one of the best golf coarse greens west of the Whitsundays( six pack of beer, golf car and green fees for 40 odd dollars!),new aquatic center under construction, 8 restaurants, airport with several flights daily from Brisbane on Quantas. We also have an enormous amount of events throughout the year with something happening almost every weekend.
The area around Moranbah has massive coking coal (used to make steel, not electricity)deposits of a quality and volume not commonly seen around the world and due to this fact many new mines are due to open over the next 5 years and provide massive economic benefit to our community.
With an unemployment rate of around 1% and likely to fall lower, I believe our region has a very very bright future ahead of it.

Great for

  • Sense of community
  • Activities for young children
  • No traffic congestion
  • Sport

Who lives here?

  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
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gina mason

DON'T BRING YOUR FAMILY HERE!!!

We left this town 4months ago due to our rent being increased to $980.00 per week for an older style 3bedroom house not that it mattered to the Agent and landlord that we didn't receive maintenance as often as we paid our $750.00 religiously every week. I see by reading numerous posts on the Moranbah Housing Page and the newly created Moranbah Rental Crisis Action Group that things have only gotten worse! Moranbah is not a place to take your family too any longer, just look at what the greedy agents and landlords are pricing the rentals at - its criminal. I hate to think of the amount of people that will be left without a home come Christmas. Yes, of course you greedy investors and the likes will always try and justify your greed, but in the end it is profiteering. People who are looking at living in this town, DON'T, if you have a family in tow - sure read all the justifications of the greedy agents and landlords, but at the end of the day - read the comments and stories on those Moranbah pages I recommended above of real families been torn apart by the rent hikes of $1000.00+.
FYI majority of these greedy investors don't even live in this town, let alone this state or even this country!! Be forewarned, there are already 57 families on the emergency waiting list for houses due to the Rental Greed - you don't want your family to be next!

2Happy

I couldn't agree more with you gmason. we to have now left Moranbah. the only solution is for more AFFORDABLE house to be built. With a bit of luck rents might drop once the supersized Mac camp is complete.

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"Highest price housing!"

I think moranbah is ridiculous!! For a run down old house you will still pay $1000 a week! For the same thing 200kms away its about $300! Only mining bosses can afford that but they get supplied houses for $60 a week!! Its pretty much like stealing!! They are not thinking about the people who dont work in the mines!! There is no nice restraunts, the only places you can go to is the 2 pubs. I will say right now i hate it here

Not great for

  • Housing
  • Rent
  • Activities for teens
  • Activities outside of sport
  • Dining out
0
propertyinvest

It would seem that you are unaware of a couple of things. Firstly by my count there are at least 8 restaurants in moranbah ,The Workers club, Golf club, Black nugget, Chinas, Happy lands, Issacs, Drovers rest, Western heritage and several other cafes as well as the usual array of fast food chains.
The second thing is that its not just"Mining bosses" that receive subsidized housing. All full time employees of the major mining companies(excluding contractors) in this area also receive low cost subsidized housing.
Unfortunately Kirby there is a massive shortage of housing in this town and simple rules of supply and demand have prevailed. We have such a happy and relaxed lifestyle in this town its very sad to hear that you hate it here. Perhaps as you get to know the people better things will change.
kind regards

Kelsey18

You will also find that that Chinas and the Golf Club are the only decent places to eat. The western heritage is ridiculously overpriced, the black nugget isn't good for families after 6. Drovers rest is terrible. Issacs is overpriced.the workers club is okay but they cannot keep staff and continuously there is no chef so the menu is limited. People who work in the mines that can afford the expensive housing get cheap places whereas the everyday worker has no chance. Teenagers and young adults have no chance of moving out. The town is full of apprentices who are on minimum wage. Give the people a chance. The high school and primary schools are the best thing about the town. Other than that, there is nothing going for it. Also for the fast food. Dominos is run by children almost all the time and IFC and red rooster always run out of food so there isn't always a 100% chance of getting food there. Subway is the only other fast food there.

Jodie Cumming real estate agent
Jodie Cumming

Rental amount have dropped allot over the last few months. You can get a nice 3-4 bedroom property for roughly $550-$650/week. Recently there has been a new Noodle bar opened up and they have started building an IGA.

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"Investors Are Detroying Moranbah"

Moranbah is a wonderful place for not only singles but families. The schools are fantastic and the options are great for a remote location. Our only problem is that investors and owners of properties in Moranbah see the mighty dollar sign and have increased rents so high that the average family have been pushed out of the market. Some of the rental properties could be referred to as dog boxes with owners refusing to maintain general wear and tear. I would applaud any new investor that looks outside the box and offers rental properties for an affordable amount. Remember not everyone in town is a miiner!

Not great for

  • Activities for teens
  • Activities outside of sport
0
icon

I'm looking to build an Investment property in Moranbah. But I might pass on as I don't want to be judged as greedy investor. Can I build a house for $700.000 and rent it for $400 p/w. No I can not. Why? Because it would cost me about $35.000 per year out of my pocket to sustain the interest rates. But maybe I folk $35.000 per year hoping that the house appreciate 10% or so, in value every year for the next 5 years or so. In this case I, the investor should make about $30.000 after interest rates paid. What if mines are closed down or global unpredicted changes arrive in the future? Who would buy back the house for $700000 from me? What if the house value would not appreciate in it's value? Who thinks I can donate $30.000 a year to somebody who will be renting the house from me? and then sell it after 5 years for devaluated value of $300.000 or so? Buying house in Moranbah can be a huge risk. Who can say here, honestly that investment risk should not be paid with a higher potential dividends? The question remains; should I invest in your city and provide more accommodation for you people? Would you call me GREEDY INVESTOR?

2Happy

Yes investing in a mining town has its risks, though I'm sure that you have done your due diligences on Moranbah. do invest in Moranbah , though you will be hard pressedto find a
block of land to build your 700k house on -there is no land for sale! I can only speak for myself by enlighting u to the problem tenants are facing , rent hikes going from 1k per wk(for a crappy 3 bed mould ridden dump, that seldom has maintance issues attended to (tradies are hard to come by)) to 2.5k when lease is up for reneweal...
the town is becoming 1 big mac camp with , with workers now having to share their bedrooms with workmates on opposing shifts.
There are plenty of great Landlords in Moranbah , they're the ones that don't increase
the rent by 50+%.

Fitzo

The problem for landlords who offer long leases at low rents is that if they decide to sell they can't because the return is not there for the potential buyer. Moranbah is a high risk investment so if you don't keep up with the rents created by demand you lose both ways. I am in exactly that situation right now. I've always attended to any maintenance issues straight away and I appreciate my tenant, but I'm not a charity. The fact is prices are always dictated by supply and demand no matter what the product. It isn't just a question of greed. Will anyone feel sorry for me when the market drops and I haven't got the high rent or the right to sell?

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"Moranbah"

This is a purpose built town for workers of the surrounding mines and their families. There is only one grocery store that sells mediocre fresh food quality. The local pub is in its original 30 year old condition and is too rough at night to take a family out. A workers club is more family orientated however the food is not good due to the common struggle by local service providers to source and keep staff. The attraction of high wages in the mines prevails. There is a kindergarten and two day care centres heavily booked and expensive, two primary schools and a high school. There are many sports for children and adults. The restaurants are low to average quality and overpriced. Qantas link provide flights to Brisbane however fares are expensive in comparison to driving to Mackay 2.5hrs East and flying from there. There is limited entertainment for children with a cinema complex now having been closed for 3 years. Enjoyment of the town depends on who you make friends with and socialise with because there are not many venues to meet people outside of work or the pubs for singles/couples and schools for family people. There are a small number of stores providing basic needs. Internet access is terrible and mobile phone reception limited to Telstra and patchy Optus. Digital TV not scheduled until next year.

Great for

  • Sport

Not great for

  • Dining out
  • Activities for teens
  • Activities outside of sport

Who lives here?

  • Families with kids
0
Jodie Cumming real estate agent
Jodie Cumming

I'm glad to say that over the last couple of years Moranbah have improved. The Workers Club food is normally very good & the staff are very friendly. No we don't have a cinema but quite regularly they put on a "Movie under the stars" in the town center. As a family night out you couldn't ask for more. I have 3 young children and they think it's great to watch a movie outside with a picnic dinner. The day care center are very accommodating as well. I work full in the town but husband is on shift work (as most people in the area are) the days that we don't need to send the young one to day care they try & on sell so we don't have to pay for days that we don't need child care.

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"Great Place to rise family"

Lambert Drive is in the best part of Moranbah and it is part of "Isaac Views" development - surrounded by brand new homes. Tidy and very much great, quality, family environment.
Moranbah is a regional town with only two hours drive to the ocean beaches. Nice, clean, very vibrant, friendly and safe. Moranbah has more facilities than any other comparable town of this size. There is no shortage of money for ongoing improvements - as mines and other industries are willing contributors to improve facilities and provide quality of living in Moranbah.
Great town for work – as employers will fight to get you working for them!!!!! Great for business as it seems like everyone has plenty of money in town!

Highly recommended !

Who lives here?

  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
0
kirby14

Its an okay place if you can afford to live here. The rent is just stupid!! I wouldnt recommend people to live here unless they have money to blow...

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