(Rev 2 – March 2005)

Coal Cliff Colliery
1878 – 1991

Opened: 1878
Owner: Coal Cliff Mining Co.
Closed: 1991 (Minfo #52)

Originally belonging to Sir Thomas Mitchell’s Stanwell Park Estate and later to his son, Captain Campbell Mitchell, it was Captain Mitchell who first attempted to mine the coal in this area. Unable to raise sufficient capital, Captain Mitchell sold his property to Mr. Justice Hargrave. The lands came into the possession of the Honourable Alexander Stuart MLA who was the principal proprietor of the Coal Cliff Land and Coal Mining Company.##

Officially opened January 11th, 1878, with the coastal steamship “Eagle” loading 200 tons, the first commercial output from the mine.

Lewis Gordon took up coal bearing lands near Coal Cliff in 1840. Several changes of ownership later they were acquired by Alexander Stuart (later to become NSW Premier 1883 - 1885) in 1876. Financed by Thomas Walker, he constructed the Coal Cliff jetty and opened the tunnel mine in April, 1877, working the Bulli seam outcropping some 10 metres above sea level and the “4 foot seam” exposed at the water’s edge.

The mining company built Clifton village to accommodate its labour force.

The jetty was its lifeline, partially destroyed in June, 1878, rebuilt at a higher level but wrecked again in June 1881, forcing the mine to close for 4 months.
Rebuilt the jetty survived until 1904 when 150 feet was lost. It was not used for shipping after 1912.

Note; NSW Dept. of Mines Annual Report about 1883 showed 102 men employed and the ventilation was 14,000 c.f.m. #

Chartered steamers (including “Eagle”), carried coal to Sydney for bunkering larger ships or export to Asia, Noumea and the U.S.

In 1892 The Hon. E. Vickery, MLC acquired an interest in the colliery, the family retaining control until taken over by Broken Hill Associated Smelters Pty Ltd. #

Stuart had two small colliers purpose built in Glasgow, the Hilda and the Herga. Hilda struck a reef near Pt. Hacking in 1893 and was lost but Herga operated throughout the life of the jetty.

The new steam collier, the Undola, commenced work in 1910 however she disappeared with all hands in December 1918 between Bellambi and Sydney. It is believed that the ship struck a German mine.

In 1909, consultants D. A. W. Robertson commenced planning the mines future. Financially backed by E. Vickery and Sons Ltd. the decision to form Coal Cliff Collieries was taken. #

The new colliery was based around a winding shaft sunk adjacent to the northern portal of the Clifton railway tunnel. Shaft spoil formed the foundations of the pit bank of Coal Cliff Colliery..
 

The shaft intersected the Bulli seam at 343 ft and was extended to the 4’ seam.

The need for mechanisation was recognised and in 1912 two Jeffrey Breast Coal-cutters were purchased. Two Sullivan CE7 DC Cutters mounted on trolleys and mechanically trammed were purchased a few years later. #

In 1912 a double inlet 77” diameter Sirocco centrifugal fan driven by two vertically mounted 17” diameter x 9” stroke single cylinder steam engines was installed at the jetty site. #
Trade shifted from collier to rail, the railways purchasing well over half the pits output.

A rail siding linked the mine to the Illawarra Railway.

Illawarra Coke Works was built in 1913 and commenced producing coke in December, 1914.

Side by side but owned by separate interests, the mine and coke works were eventually acquired by Kembla Coal and Coke Pty Ltd. in 1954.

Power generation was first introduced in 1910 when a 15 kW generator, steam driven by a Bellis & Morcom, vertical compound engine, was installed for lighting purposes. #

1912-1918 two Bellis & Morcom generating sets with 600 kW capacity, were installed to handle the coal cutters, haulage engines and screening plant. #

1919 saw the mine employing 337 men and producing 225,000 tons/annum.

1924-1926 a new power house was erected, equipped with 4 x Babcock & Wilcox boilers and two 400 kW 2300 V AC Bellis & Morcom alternator sets. Voltage was stepped down to 415V for general use with the exception of the jetty fan motor of 120 h.p. which was supplied at 2300 V. #

Recommendations to sink an air shaft, mechanisation and reorganisation in 1928 were delayed by industrial troubles in the mining industry and the Depression. However two Sullivan CLE2 , trolley mounted, arc-cutters were purchased and a bath house and office building erected during 1928. #

1937 saw the installation of a screening plant as a result of competition in the coal market. #

In 1938 the colliery became the first mine in Australia to extract pillars by mechanical means. This equipment comprised Sullivan scraper loaders and Blackett flight conveyors. It apparently worked quite successfully but was discontinued as a result of the prohibition of the use of machines in pillar extraction. #

Experimental work was also undertaken around this time on the water infusion of pillar coal to reduce the coal dust hazards. #

The colliery was put under the control of the Commonwealth Coal Commissioner from March, 1944 to March, 1947 because of lack of funds and industrial disputes.

Some mechanisation in 1948 and the use of Goodman Duck Bill loaders in 1950#, proved unsatisfactory, the units being withdrawn in 1954.

At this time coal was transported in the main heading by an endless rope haulage system driven at 2.8 m.p.h. by a steam engine located on the surface and hoisted up a 330’ deep downcast shaft in one ton skips at the rate of 2 tons/wind. The non-condensing steam winder was equipped with a bi-conico-cylindrical drum with a rated capacity of 240 t/hr. #

Coal was extracted using a split and lift method of pillar extraction, the coal being transported by horse, direct and endless rope haulage. #

Ventilation was still supplied by the Sirocco centrifugal fan at the jetty site but due to excessive leakage underground only 50% of the 120,000 c.f.m. was available to the working districts. #

In 1955 Coal Cliff Colliery was purchased by Kembla Coal & Coke Pty Limited (owned by Broken Hill Associated Smelters Pty Limited) and a programme of modernisation was commenced. #

During the latter half of the 1950’s a cross measures drift was driven, a cable belt system installed, a 3’-6” gauge, diesel and battery loco track installed for men and materials transport.#

The drift was 2004’ with a maximum grade of 1 in 4. The vertical drop from portal to the end was 368’. Driven from both the surface and from underground (some 1200’ were driven from underground) the drift was supported in a variety of methods ranging from full concrete lining to straps with wedge type roof bolts. Sealing of the exposed strata was required virtually immediately upon completion because of the rapid deterioration of the shales upon the drift holing. #

A drift bottom shunting area was established including a diesel refuelling station. #

The 42” cable belt conveyor was almost 10,500 ft in length with a lift of 680 ft. was the world’s longest. 36” conveyors were installed in the panels. #

A new upcast shaft was sunk by Allied Constructions Pty Ltd. The 20’ dia. x 1500’ deep shaft being completed in 334 days, some 20,000 cu yds of material removed and lined with a minimum of 9” concrete. It was sunk conventionally using hand held sinkers and blasting. A stage mounted cactus grab was used in conjunction with a 2 bucket system of winding out the stone. #

On completion the shaft was fitted with a 2 stage 120” dia. axial flow fan manufactured by Hi-flow Fans Pty Limited with a provision for fitting a third stage if required. The fan was connected to the shaft collar via a 10’ dia. steel duct. #

Design performance was 260,000 c.f.m. @ 8” w.g. 480 r.p.m., 450 fan shaft h.p. @ 80% effic.#

Four Continuous miner panels were introduced to the colliery (6 South area) each comprising one Joy 1CM Continuous Miner, 1 11BU Joy Loader and two 10 SC/AC Shuttle Cars. Face ventilation by wide side, brattice line. Roof support was 14’ half rounds on 5” props with additional roof bolting where required. #

A new water reticulation system was installed using 6” victaulic pipes along the cable belt, 4: victaulic into the districts, 3” pipes were installed along the panel belts with 2” pipes in the immediate face areas. #

A 400 t.p.h. washery was constructed including a 65’ dia. thickener, Bradford Breaker, 2,000 ton Raw Coal Bin, 1,600 ton Product Bins, stockpile and reclamation conveyors. #

The new washery was at the time, the largest in the southern hemisphere. #

In 1960 the Cable belt was extended to 12,550’ with a total lift of 700’. Running at 466 f.p.m. with an average capacity of 585 t.p.h., peaking at 750 t.p.h. up to 18 minutes. #

Two Joy 6CM Continuous Miner units were introduced into the 7 North area during 1960 with a third unit in February 1961. #

The capital outlay for this programme of modernisation to 7 continuous miner panels and associated services upgrade was in the vicinity of $10,000,000. #


KCC entered the international coal market in the early 1960s with Japanese coking coal markets.

In February, 1963, a longwall was introduced, being replaced with an upgraded version after 9 months.
This also was withdrawn in 1965, the mine reverting to the Wongawilli method of pillar extraction.

In the 1970s three additional ventilation shafts were sunk, two axial flow ventilation fans installed and two large underground bins constructed.

By 1980, Coalcliff was the largest underground mine in Australia, employing 988 with an output of more than 1.7 million tonnes per annum.(14th Dec. 1977, produced national underground record of 16,710 tonnes).

The Darkes Forest Mine was created in 1971, all workings west of the Darkes Forest Shaft forming the new mine.


Acknowledgements:

Illawarra Mercury - Article by Paddy Ginnane, 1980.

“Coalcliff Colliery closed in 1991 after a life of 114 years.”
Minfo 52, 1996.

## “The Coal Cliff Colliery Adit and Jetty Tramway, 1797 to 1910”, Longworth, 2002, Light Railways No. 167.

# “Coal Cliff Colliery – Development and Operation”, Collin, 1961. Paper #8, The Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Annual Conference, 1961