Towns in Australia

Exploring Australia, town by town

Moomba SA

Moomba

Postcode: 5342

Moomba is a Santos-owned gas exploration and processing town located in the Cooper and Eromanga Basins, in central Australia, approximately 770 kilometres north of Adelaide.

There are a number of partners and contractors on site including O&G Solutions, Transfield Services, Origin Energy, and Diversified Construction.

Moomba is situated on the Strzelecki Track which runs through northeastern South Australia and into southwestern Queensland. The settlement is located on a low-lying plain amongst sand dunes at very little height above sea level. Several hundred kilometres to the southwest lies Lake Eyre which is in fact below sea level.

Santos Ltd employs some 1,200 people living and working permanently or part-time at Moomba and also Ballera in south-west Queensland. It is therefore difficult to estimate the permanent resident population of Moomba.

Moomba was established in the 1960s and 70s after discovery of gas and, later, oil in the region.

An explosion occurred at the gas plant in January 2004 which made national headlines and caused a costly temporary gas shortage for Santos Ltd.