( ABC Capricornia: Vanessa Jarrett ) While Darts Is Typically Known As a Pub Game, to Some, It Is So Much More

The previous darts club, about 200 kilometres north-east of Mackay, closed a few years ago, but the dedication and perseverance of a few members has brought it back to life. The local darts club in Moranbah offers a place of friendship in the regional mining town. ( ABC Capricornia: Vanessa Jarrett ) 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. 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. In the town, about 200 kilometres south-west 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. Moranbah is the largest town in the Isaac region, surrounded by dozens of coal mines.

( ABC News: Peter Mullins ) 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.

Taz and Cassandra Whiteley at the Moranbah darts hall. ( ABC Capricornia: Vanessa Jarrett ) 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. Taz Whiteley has competed in darts competitions across Queensland. ( ABC Capricornia: Vanessa Jarrett ) Husband Wade Whiteley, known locally as "Taz", a nod to his Tasmanian roots, played competitively in his younger years.