Skip to main content

Coal train


And the other thing this area is famous for is coal ... lots and lots of coal production can be seen from the road.  I have written of the coal mining that occurs in the Western Coalfield on our drive to Clandulla but here in the Hunter coal mining is even greater.

I did a bit of research on the coal fields and this is what I found on the NSW Mineral Council's site.

The Hunter coalfield is the largest coal-producing region in NSW, currently concentrated around the Singleton and Muswellbrook districts. It produces the bulk of thermal coal for NSW’s electricity generation needs as well as for export markets. The Hunter coal seams are mostly at shallow depths of less than 300 metres, enabling cost effective multi-seam, open cut mining operations.

The Western coalfield extends from near Lithgow to Rylstone, producing mostly thermal coal for local coal-fired power stations and cement manufacture with small quantities exported. Whilst mining has been undertaken in this region for many years, significant resources identified in the Lithgow and Ulan seams around Rylstone and the Ulan-Bylong area remain for development.

The Southern coalfield produces hard coking coal needed for steel production.   There are also the Gunnedah and Newcastle coalfields.

Comments

  1. WinamMarch 11, 2011 at 1:35 PM

    I didn't realise how extensive coal mining was in the Hunter until I drove through it last November.

    ReplyDelete
  2. PJMarch 11, 2011 at 2:21 PM

    What else is shipped through that area: Agriculture? Industry? Mineral resources?

    ReplyDelete
  3. diane bMarch 11, 2011 at 11:28 PM

    A valley of contrasts, mining and vineyards. Great perspective of the train.

    ReplyDelete
  4. JulieMarch 12, 2011 at 4:45 AM

    I like the perspective of the train.

    Coal mining is a trifle contentious at the moment ... and into the near future.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Joan ElizabethMarch 12, 2011 at 9:03 PM

    Paula, I think this rail line is used for coal, coal and more coal. Down at the city end rail is also used by commuters and I guess their is the daily long distance train goes up north through here.

    Julie I know coal mining is contentious but I like the industrial beat of our countryside alongside more tranquil rural activity so long as the two can coexist safely.

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownMarch 14, 2011 at 3:43 AM

    Now this is a very cool perspective, I really like it.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Larras Lee

We passed through Bakers Swamp without noticing anything.  Then reached our last dot on the map for this trip - Larras Lee and saw this.  The roadside monument says: In Memory of  WILLIAM LEE  (1794 - 1870)  of "Larras Lake"  a pioneer of the sheep  and cattle industry  and first member for  Roxburgh under responsible  government (1856 - 1859).  This stone was erected  by his descendants.  --- 1938 --- This is a repost from a few days ago. Thinking I would use this for this week’s Taphophile Tragics post I dug a little further into William Lee’s story, it’s a very colonial Australian one. William was born of convict parents, living his childhood years around the Sydney region. In his early 20s he was issued with some government cattle, recommended as a suitable settler and granted 134 acres at Kelso near Bathurst. He was one of the first in the area and did well. A few years later he was granted a ram and an increase in his land to 300 acres. William developed a r
9 comments
Read more

The end

I retire from the workforce this week and to celebrate have decided to retire my current blogs and start afresh with a single consolidated blog -  My Bright Field  - to record the delights of my new life adventure. If you are interested follow me over there.  I will still be Sweet Wayfaring and collecting Royal Hotels.  The delights I discover along the way will appear together with my gardens and towns where I live.
Post a Comment
Read more

Coolibah?

Is that a Coolibah tree beside the abandoned house? Every Australian knows about Coolibah trees because the bush ballad Waltzing Matilda is nigh on our unoffical national anthem but most of us live nowhere near the inland where they grow. Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong, Under the shade of a Coolibah tree, And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled, You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me. Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda, You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me, And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.
13 comments
Read more