Moonie, Queensland

The town is on the Darling Downs at the intersection of the Leichhardt and Moonie Highways, {{convert|331|km|mi|0}} west of the state capital, Brisbane, and is the Official Oil Capital of Australia. The locality is split between the Western Downs Region (northern part of the locality) and the Goondiwindi Region (southern part of the locality).

The Moonie Highway passes through the locality from the north-east to the south-west. The Leichhardt Highway passes through the locality from the north to the south. The town is at the intersection of the two highways.{{Queensland Globe|access-date=1 January 2022}}

The town's name is derived from Moonie River, which was first recorded as Mooni by Sir Thomas Mitchell in November 1846 when he passed through the region.{{cite web|title=MOONIE, QUEENSLAND|url=http://www.australiaforeveryone.com.au/places_moonie.htm|access-date=30 May 2011}}

Moonie State School opened on 14 May 1962.{{Citation|title=Queensland schools past and present|publication-date=2010|author1=Queensland Family History Society|edition=Version 1.01|publisher=Queensland Family History Society|isbn=978-1-921171-26-0}}

In 1973, a church building was moved from Drillham to Moonie to become Our Lady of the Way Catholic Church.{{Cite web|title=Our Lady of the Way Catholic Church|url=https://www.churchesaustralia.org/list-of-churches/denominations/catholic/directory/8471-our-lady-of-the-way-catholic-church|access-date=2022-01-01|website=Churches Australia|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Blake|first=Thom|title=Church of Our Lady of the Way|url=https://www.thomblake.com.au/qc_new/view_p.php?id=3978|access-date=2022-01-01|website=Queensland religious places database}}

Moonie Post Office opened by June 1966 closed in 1983.{{Cite web | last = Premier Postal History | title = Post Office List | publisher = Premier Postal Auctions | url = https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=QLD&country= | access-date = 10 May 2014}}

Moonie Library opened in 2003.{{Cite web|url=http://www.plconnect.slq.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/388497/SLQ_StatsBulletin1617_20171109.pdf|title=Public Libraries Statistical Bulletin 2016-17|date=November 2017|website=Public Libraries Connect|publisher=State Library of Queensland|page=16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180130022546/http://www.plconnect.slq.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/388497/SLQ_StatsBulletin1617_20171109.pdf|archive-date=30 January 2018|url-status=live|access-date=30 January 2018}}

In the {{CensusAU|2016}}, the locality of Moonie had a population of 189 people.{{Census 2016 AUS|id=SSC31919|name=Moonie (SSC)|access-date=20 October 2018|quick=on}}

In the {{CensusAU|2021}}, the locality of Moonie had a population of 182 people.{{Census 2021 AUS|id=SAL31902|name=Moonie (SAL)|access-date=28 February 2023|quick=on}}

File:Farm land, Moonie, Queensland, 2016.jpg

In December 1961, Moonie was the site of Australia's first commercial oil field, a very small field consisting of less than one percent of Australia's oil and gas reserves.{{cite web

| url = http://walkabout.com.au/locations/QLDMoonie.shtml

| title = Moonie

| work = Walkabout - Australian Travel Guide

| publisher = Fairfax

| access-date = 2007-09-23

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070903061908/http://www.walkabout.com.au/locations/QLDMoonie.shtml

| archive-date = 3 September 2007

| url-status = dead

}} The oil field is still operational.{{Cite web |last=Honari 1, Gonzalez 2, Underschultz 3, Garnett 4. |first=V.1, S.2, J.3, A.4. |date=2019 |title=Moonie oil field history match and re-evaluation, The University of Queensland Surat Deep Aquifer Appraisal Project – Supplementary Detailed Report |url=https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/data/UQ_734581/UQ_SDAAP_F24.pdf?Expires=1654598863&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJKNBJ4MJBJNC6NLQ&Signature=ShwjRCYdcklkZohYY873wehigqarXPlN011W4yAOqwe2FImWUDRz~IdDJlN-0S8YPlD0xLy-RxdWHsMwBz93dzKx7-g84czZ0~-UeFIgp33rlgjLvvz1hxqZlAvSnHR1h2CGlUU-5xNRxwRydzf4mlWloDr~i9YIEJw-6O~Lroi-6JinJ3MlBnQPW-fQ0uhU7w-Cpg0m7h3JSvZINtTntSectGZ7SzeB7LMRB8Ojl3itDMyFRCckomUvGNlOoGkaZkcG5NJlK-F~SB0WpZJs2Jih4ubJUATHNwzM0yTUBpfAWwh9bImDBDQKS2OwYDUyK~sAr0pKO0xTVft72KwlTQ__ |access-date=7 June 2022 |website=The University of Queensland}} The region is also an agricultural area that produces grain, beef cattle and prime lambs.

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File:Moonie State School, 2025.jpg

Moonie State School is a government primary (Early Childhood to Year 6) school for boys and girls at 11305 Moonie Highway ({{coord|-27.7138|150.3732|type:edu_region:AU-QLD|name=Moonie State School}}).{{cite web|date=9 July 2018|title=State and non-state school details|url=https://data.qld.gov.au/dataset/state-and-non-state-school-details/resource/5b39065c-df32-415c-994c-5ff12f8de997|url-status=live|access-date=21 November 2018|publisher=Queensland Government|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121065959/https://data.qld.gov.au/dataset/state-and-non-state-school-details/resource/5b39065c-df32-415c-994c-5ff12f8de997|archivedate=21 November 2018}}{{cite web|title=Moonie State School|url=https://www.mooniess.eq.edu.au|access-date=21 November 2018}} In 2016, the school had an enrolment of 43 students with 4 teachers (3 full-time equivalent) and 5 non-teaching staff (2 full-time equivalent).{{Cite web|title=Annual Report 2016|url=https://mooniess.eq.edu.au/Supportandresources/Formsanddocuments/Annual%20reports/Annual%20Report%202016.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919011644/https://mooniess.eq.edu.au/Supportandresources/Formsanddocuments/Annual%20reports/Annual%20Report%202016.pdf|archive-date=19 September 2017|access-date=19 September 2017|website=Moonie State School}} In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 27 students with 2 teachers and 6 non-teaching staff (3 full-time equivalent).{{cite web|title=ACARA School Profile 2018|url=https://www.acara.edu.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/school-profile-2018.xlsx|access-date=28 January 2020|publisher=Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority}}

There is no secondary school in Moonie. The nearest government secondary school is Tara Shire State School in neighbouring Tara to the north. However, unless resident in the northern parts of the locality of Moonie, the distances involved are so large that distance education and boarding school would be other options.

The town has a service station, the Moonie Sports Club, a pool and a motel.

Moonie Library is on the eastern corner of the Leichhardt Highway and the Moonie Highway ({{Coord|-27.7172|150.3710|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=Moonie public library}}).{{Cite web|url=http://plconnect.slq.qld.gov.au/networking/directory-of-public-libraries/branches/western_downs/moonie_library|title=Public Libraries Statistical Bulletin 2016-17|website=Public Libraries Connect|publisher=State Library of Queensland|page=16|access-date=19 January 2018}}

Our Lady of the Way Catholic Church is on the Moonie Highway ({{Coord|-27.71836|150.3672|type:landmark_region:AU-QLD|name=Our Lady of the Way Catholic Church}}). It is part of the parish of St Mary of the Angels' Parish based in Tara within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba.{{Cite web|date=2017-07-26|title=Our Lady of the Way Church, Moonie|url=https://www.twb.catholic.org.au/church/our-lady-of-the-way-church-moonie/|access-date=2022-01-01|website=Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba}}

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{{commons category|Moonie, Queensland}}

• {{cite web|date=1986|title=Town map of Moonie |url=https://gisservices.information.qld.gov.au/arcgis/rest/directories/historicalscans/cad_scans/cad-map-town-moonie-1986.jpg |publisher=Queensland Government}}

{{Western Downs Region}}

{{Goondiwindi Region}}

{{Darling Downs}}

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Category:Towns in Queensland

Category:Towns in the Darling Downs

Category:Western Downs Region

Category:Goondiwindi Region

Category:Localities in Queensland