WONTHAGGI STATE COAL MINE SOUTH TUNNEL & VENTILATION SHAFT
84 CHISHOLM ROAD WONTHAGGI, BASS COAST SHIRE
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Statement of Significance
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WONTHAGGI STATE COAL MINE SOUTH TUNNEL & VENTILATION SHAFT - History
SiteCard data copied on 22/08/2024:The State Coal Mine at Wonthaggi was started in 1910 to reduce reliance on NSW coal following industrial disputes on those coalfields. The State Coal Mine was operated by the Victorian Railways which had a virtual monopoly on coal production. Boring had identified an anticipated 200,000 ton coal reserve in the Southern Area and tenders were called for a tunnel, tunnel approach and an air shaft in late 1914 – early 1915. Works were very short-lived. Only 160 tons of low-grade coal were produced before flooding and a collapse saw operations immediately suspended and all machinery removed. The failure of the Southern Area did not go unnoticed by critics of the Railway’s management of the mine. It was brought up at a Special Meeting of the Wonthaggi Borough Council, which wanted coal to be available to the public and mine operations to be taken over by a Coal Board. The Mining Employees Association also pointed to the costly failure as an example of waste, in an attempt to deflect criticism of the work conditions gained by the workers. The property was later used for cattle grazing and has since been allowed to regenerate as coastal heathland.WONTHAGGI STATE COAL MINE SOUTH TUNNEL & VENTILATION SHAFT - Interpretation of Site
The features that are visible are in accord with the historical record, and given the very short-lived use of the place as part of the operations of the former State Coal Mine and lack of operational changes to the place over time, all historical fabric is accounted for (assuming continued existence of submerged tunnel fabric). Later land use (cattle grazing) has had no visible impact on the robust fabric but may have contributed to gradual erosion of the former haulage way.
Heritage Inventory Description
WONTHAGGI STATE COAL MINE SOUTH TUNNEL & VENTILATION SHAFT - Heritage Inventory Description
The site is on a 79.4 hectare block at 84 Chisholm Rd, Wonthaggi 3995, about 2km south-west of the township. The land is sandy and gently undulating, and is cloaked in dense regenerating coastal heathland scrub. The South Tunnel site shows as a reed-bordered pondage. The tunnel and approach are presumed to have survived and are underwater. At the Ventilation Shaft there is a concrete-collared, 1.23m square shaft surrounded by a concrete apron. On the north side of the shaft is a 1.6m x 1.95m concrete footing, with hold-down bolts. North of this, a partly-buried concrete pad tilts down into a small depression measuring roughly 3.5m x 2.5m. There is little left of the former haulage way (tramway) that was driven by endless ropeway from No 10 Shaft, over 2km away to the north.
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VAULTVictorian Heritage Register H2450
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STONY CREEK SLIPWAYVictorian Heritage Inventory
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