Moruya houses the Shire Council officers, it is situated five kilometres from Moruya Heads, along a wide broad river that was instrumental in providing supplies to the Araluen Gold Rush in the 1870's. It's airport was opened in 1939.
With WWII believed to be coming, the authorities decided it would be a provident exercise to construct bomb proof bunkers at the airport.
Moruya is the region's only airport and as such was used as an anti-submarine search air base during the war years. Several allied ships were sunk by Japanese submarines. The most famous of these was the large fishing trawler Duranbee sunk off Moruya Heads in 1942.
The bunkers have been maintained to some degree since those dark years of WWII and are now utilised as part of the Moruya rifle range. Over the years there was some thought of them being opened to the public for tourist sight seeing but nothing came of this.
The Moruya airport today sees several passenger flights each day. These include flights to Sydney (to the north) and Merimbula (to the south) and smaller aircraft to Canberra. There is also a strong local aero club.
The Eurobodalla Shire Council has given some thought to opening Moruya airport as one of the State's small aircraft regional centres with permanent hangers constructed along the western length of the airstrip. The eastern side is adjacent to the Pacific Ocean.
There are occasional military training flights simulating landing at Moruya airport and its not unusual to see over the town, aircraft such as Hercules to jet fighters.
Between the Moruya airport and Moruya Heads is a 'primitive camping area' which has been well patronised by holiday makers since before WWII. There was some consideration of placing a low profile resort in that same vicinity, but this has come to nought. The Moruya Chamber of Commerce for many years has been trying to advance such a tourist upmarket accommodation facility.
Moruya also hosts the Well-Being Australia athlete respite facility, Basil Sellers House, for athletes and coaches from the Australian Institute of Sport. This was initiated by Well-Being Australia chairman Mark Tronson and his wife Delma in 1992.
They relocated to Tweed Heads in December 2005 to replicate this respite facility. Kim and Michelle Gillis now co-ordinate Moruya athlete respite.
In the Tronson's 14 years in Moruya, they utilised the Moruya airport innumerable times as they journeyed on Missions both within Australia and internationally.
