Morawa, Western Australia
Morawa Federal division(s) | Durack | ||||||||
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Morawa is a town in the
History
The name Morawa is an
In 1932 the
Population growth in Morawa has been fairly stable since the 1990s, without much increase, possibly due to people moving out to the Perth metropolitan area. Farms had been amalgamating for a number of years for economic reasons and the larger farms required fewer staff.
Farming
Morawa is primarily a
Biodiversity
The biodiversity of rangeland around Morawa has been reduced by land clearing, changed fire regimes, feral pests and weeds, and pastoralism but still remains an important characteristic of the region. The Department of Environment and Conservation (formerly CALM) has undertaken a biodiversity survey of the area encompassing Morawa. Sporadic ranges of hills are separated by large areas of land and many have evolved their own unique endemic species and biological communities. Some of these are associated only with the Banded Ironstone Formation rocks that are targeted for iron ore mining.
Mining
5.1 million tonnes of
Due to renewed international demand for iron ore, and dramatic increases in prices being paid, the iron ore deposits around Morawa have attracted interest from junior mining companies such as Midwest Corp., Mount Gibson Mining, Gindalbie Metals and Red River Resources. Midwest Corp has spent several million dollars on infrastructure including roadworks to, and weighbridge facilities at, Koolanooka Mine. It is currently (May 2006) trucking haematite fines (<6 millimetres particle size) left over as waste from the 1966–74 Western Mining iron ore operation. When the export to China of these several million tonnes is complete, Midwest Corp plans to exploit further haematite discoveries on their leases (pending environmental assessment and approval). Substantial quantities of magnetite ore are also understood to exist on their holdings. Mount Gibson Mining also holds mining tenements at
The
Magnetite concentrate from the mine is hauled to
Education
There are two schools in Morawa, the
Tourist information
Accommodation in Morawa includes the Shire-owned Caravan Park in White Street, the Morawa Motel Hotel on Manning Road, Everlastings guest homes on Evans Street and the Morawa Marian Convent Bed and Breakfast in Davis Street. The miniature John Hawes Presbytery is located opposite the Bed and Breakfast. A former Western Australian Premier, Carmen Lawrence, attended the Morawa Convent School.
Climate
Morawa features a semi-arid climate with hot dry summers and mild to cool, slightly wetter winters.
Climate data for Morawa Airport | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 47.2 (117.0) |
47.2 (117.0) |
43.0 (109.4) |
38.8 (101.8) |
35.0 (95.0) |
28.4 (83.1) |
26.8 (80.2) |
32.4 (90.3) |
36.2 (97.2) |
41.2 (106.2) |
43.7 (110.7) |
46.8 (116.2) |
47.2 (117.0) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 37.3 (99.1) |
36.8 (98.2) |
33.2 (91.8) |
28.9 (84.0) |
23.9 (75.0) |
20.2 (68.4) |
18.6 (65.5) |
20.3 (68.5) |
23.1 (73.6) |
28.3 (82.9) |
32.2 (90.0) |
35.2 (95.4) |
28.2 (82.8) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 28.6 (83.5) |
28.7 (83.7) |
25.6 (78.1) |
21.7 (71.1) |
17.2 (63.0) |
13.9 (57.0) |
12.3 (54.1) |
13.4 (56.1) |
15.4 (59.7) |
19.7 (67.5) |
23.4 (74.1) |
26.4 (79.5) |
20.5 (68.9) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19.9 (67.8) |
20.5 (68.9) |
18.0 (64.4) |
14.5 (58.1) |
10.4 (50.7) |
7.5 (45.5) |
6.1 (43.0) |
6.5 (43.7) |
7.7 (45.9) |
11.1 (52.0) |
14.6 (58.3) |
17.5 (63.5) |
12.9 (55.2) |
Record low °C (°F) | 11.0 (51.8) |
11.3 (52.3) |
8.7 (47.7) |
5.0 (41.0) |
2.4 (36.3) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
0.6 (33.1) |
2.5 (36.5) |
4.4 (39.9) |
7.0 (44.6) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 24.2 (0.95) |
17.7 (0.70) |
18.2 (0.72) |
18.6 (0.73) |
37.4 (1.47) |
37.7 (1.48) |
42.8 (1.69) |
33.5 (1.32) |
23.8 (0.94) |
8.7 (0.34) |
10.3 (0.41) |
15.7 (0.62) |
285.9 (11.26) |
Average precipitation days | 2.7 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 3.4 | 7.2 | 9.8 | 13.0 | 11.0 | 7.1 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 68.9 |
Source: [8] |
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Morawa (urban centre and locality)". Australian Census 2021.
- ^ "Country elevators". The West Australian. Perth: National Library of Australia. 6 July 1932. p. 10. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- ^ "CBH receival sites" (PDF). 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
- ^ "Summary Resources Statements". Karara Mining Limited. 30 June 2015. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ "Karara Iron Ore Project". Gindalbie Metals. West Perth, WA. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ "Growing good people". Morawa District High School. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ "Schools". Shire of Morawa. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
- ^ "Climate statistics for Morawa airport". Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 4 March 2018.