Stockton Coal Mine, Collie Shire, Western Australia, Australiai

Regional Level Types
Stockton Coal Mine	Mine
Collie Shire	Shire
Western Australia	State
Australia	Country

The underground mine at Stockton started in 1927, with open pit mining in 1943 and closing in 1957 for the open cut, and 1960 for the underground operations.

It was the first open cut coal mine at Collie. The coal was part of the Ewington Formation, with the main seam encountered at 37 feet below the surface, and a lesser top seam at 19 feet below the surface. The open cut saw mechanisation with drag lines, and diesel shovels, taken from the Big Bell and Burbidge gold mines, and Metropolitan Brickworks, elsewhere in the State. The mine was operated by Amalgamated Collieries of W.A. Ltd. It employed about 1000 men, and produced 260 tonnes of coal per day. The mine produced a total of just over 1.5 million tonnes of coal.

Ernest Robert Boyd (40) in 1939, William Blackford (21) in 1940, James Charles Parker (56), and William Bebbington (53) in 1941, were all killed from coal cave-ins.

There was no requirement at the time for the mine to be rehabilitated. It filled with water, and is presently used for camping, swimming, water skiing etc as a recreation reserve. The lake is 7 kilometres east of Collie, just south of the highway. The high acidity of the lake has seen it closed at times due to public health issues.

Once coal mining ceases at Collie, the remaining pits will form a lake district. The high acidity of the water will need to be addressed, as the fun police will find it impossible to bar access to the entire area. In a land bereft of fresh water lakes, it would make a substantial tourist attraction, to a town that otherwise largely relies on coal mining for its survival. It is ironic the burning of coal increases world temperatures, making Western Australia drier, yet at the site of the mines will be several very large lakes.

The former Stockton pit has large badly eroded spoil dumps to the west, but much of the underground material was dispersed through the surrounding jarrah forest. The lake conceals the underground workings, the former entrance in the north-west section of the lake. Much of the surrounding land has been rehabilitated. Steep cliffs border the lake on its northern side. Nearby the former entrance to the mine has been removed to be displayed, forming an arch.

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