The State Coal Mine, also known as State Coal Mine Heritage Area, is a former 20th-century state-owned black

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

mine located in

Wonthaggi Wonthaggi is a town located south east of Melbourne via the South Gippsland Highway, South Gippsland and Bass Highway, Victoria, Bass highways, in the Bass Coast Shire of Gippsland, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Known originally f ...

Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...

. The mine was operational from 1910 until 1968 and is now a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

and tourist attraction.

History

The coal deposits at the site are estimated to be more than 150 million years old and the tunnels of the mine encompass nearly , forming an underground ring around the town of

. The site is located adjacent to the former railway line to

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

via Wonthaggi. The State Coal Mine and the town of Wonthaggi came into being in 1909 to supply coal for the

Victorian Railways The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companie ...

. Rising from its beginnings as a makeshift "Tent Town", Wonthaggi quickly grew to the thriving town we know today. Operating from 1909 to 1968, the State Coal Mine produced almost of coal, and at its peak in 1926 the mine produced per day, with the Victorian Railways buying 90% of production. It was one also of the largest and most dangerous collieries in Australia. By the 1930s, with industrial actions and coal in the larger seams running out, production had dropped, but the mine was subsidised and operated until 1968 when regular steam locomotive usage was phased out.

Tourism

Today the precinct is operated by

Parks Victoria Parks Victoria is a government agency of the state of Victoria, Australia. Parks Victoria was established in December 1996 as a statutory authority, reporting to the Victorian Minister for Environment. The ''Parks Victoria Act 2018'' updates ...

and is open for the public to explore the heritage mine site. The State Coal Mine is the only historic coal mine experience in the Southern Hemisphere. The attraction offers visitors a journey back in time to discover what life working in a coal mine was like in the 1900s. It is an educational experience, predominantly for families, to tour the underground network of tunnels and learn how Victoria's men extracted the black gold. Key attractions include: * Guided underground coal mine tours * Gift shop and cafe * Museum * Visitor information centre * Theatrette and interpretative centre * Walking tracks and picnic area (BBQ facilities are available) * Historic buildings and heritage trail Facilities at the site underwent a $3 million upgrade in 2012 allowing underground tours to resume after an eight-year hiatus to bring them into line with new safety requirements.

References

External links

Parks Victoria - State Coal Mine Wonthaggi

Gippsland's official tourism website - State Coal Mine
{{Mines in Victoria State parks of Victoria (state) Museums in Victoria (state) Mining museums in Australia Gippsland (region) Coal mines in Victoria (state) Tourist attractions in Victoria (state) Economic history of Victoria (state) Victorian Heritage Register Bass Coast Shire