Darts offers Moranbah miners a break from camp life

Moranbah Darts Club offers miners a break from camp life While darts is typically known as a pub game, to some, it is so much more. "You don't have to be the best; you just come in, have a beer, listen to music, throw some darts." Owen Thompson is the Moranbah Darts Club secretary. On a wintry Tuesday night, the darts hall in the regional mining town in central Queensland is filling up. Mates greet each other with a handshake and a slap on the back as the sound of beer cans opening rings through the air. "I'm no good at it. I just come here every Tuesday to throw stuff at the board and have a few beers," Mr Thompson said. Loading...In the town, about 200 kilometres north-east of Mackay, the previous club closed down a few years ago, but the dedication and perseverance of a few members has brought it back to life. The club now hosts weekly social nights, regular tournaments and charity fundraising events. "We gradually grew from no-one … to 60 members last season," Mr Thompson said. Mining country Moranbah is the heartland of coal country in the Bowen Basin. While the town's official population is 9,425 people (2021 Census), it has a transient workforce that flies, drives or buses in and out of the 47 mines across the Bowen Basin, 30 of which are in the Isaac region. With long shift-work hours, playing darts has become a source of solace. "For me personally, I was not doing real well mentally. I found the boys. We come together, clear your head, gives you something to do, gives you a bit of worth," Mr Thompson said. Fellow club member and vice-president Quinton "Quinno" McCormick constantly tries to recruit his mining mates to have a throw and get out of the mine "camp life". "We really push the mental health side of things for the people who are away [from] their families … it's just a little somewhere they can escape and live a normal life for a little bit," he said. It is for anyone who wants to have a go. Moranbah newcomer Cassandra Whiteley says it is "something different", and its appeal to various fitness levels is a bonus. "It doesn't have to be high intensity," she said. "Something different … I enjoy it; it can be as competitive or as fun as you want it to be." Ms Whiteley, who moved to the town in early 2025, is one of the few female players at the club. "When we first moved over here, we didn't know a lot of people. I was away at work on training, and my husband actually found the darts place and came down here," she said. It took three months before she picked up a dart. "They're a really great group of guys and everyone's lovely, and it's good to get out of the house and have people to talk to and people that genuinely care. "They're a really great little community here." Husband Wade Whiteley, known locally as "Taz", a nod to his Tasmanian roots, played competitively in his younger years. He passes on his tips and tricks to the newcomers. "Keep your body still, throw with your arm, not your whole body," he said. "Teaching them rhythm, how to count, a lot of it's counting. Ninety per cent of the game is math, knowing where to go next and not having to stop." For those keen to take it a bit further than the pub, the World Darts Federation hold its international championship annually. While darts is not currently featured in the Olympic or Commonwealth Games, Darts Australia has been lobbying to have it included in the latter. Back in Moranbah, it is just about bullseyes and banter. "I don't think I will be, no, [entering the Commonwealth Games]," Mr Thompson said. "There's a couple that probably think they can; we'll see if they can prove it."