Trip - Australia D5 - State Coal Mine

Hi Blog,

Today marked the fifth day of our trip to Melbourne. Staying at someone's house puts me at ease.

Sitting on a carpet at home is a unique experience, but I understand it requires a lot of upkeep.

Where will we go today? We tried to keep it simple with three locations, starting with the farthest (not as far as the Twelve Apostles), and as the title suggests, WC had never heard of it.

WC does not wake up that early, whether on leave or not; he awoke so early to prepare our breakfast. Thanks, WC.

A nice and simple sandwich with a runny egg, mock patty, and Japanese sauce. He overheard me discussing with Everdale's boss the idea of using runny eggs for one of the burger options, which is my favourite. So he made some. Yummy! Thank you so much.

I finally got to see the exterior of WC's house and his neighbourhood.

The surroundings here are distinct from those of Singapore's high-rise apartments; you can see the sky and a limited number of residents.

I am curious about who is responsible for the pavement or road cleaning. Have they hired someone for this task, or is it expected that residents will maintain their own front areas?

Something special that I do not see every day in Singapore. According to a Google search, it is Gaura lindheimeri (White Gaura), which prefers full sun and well-drained soil. It is also drought-tolerant, making it ideal for those who do not have time to garden. Why are they not available in Singapore nurseries?

In my first impression of a landed property in Australia, I expected fences to mark their boundaries, but not everyone does; some simply make an effort to create a lovely garden.

It was my first time seeing a living hooked crow. I used to see them in illustrations, but now they are real! So beautiful!

Really quiet neighbours, very relaxed, and an ideal place to retire, but it also means there is not much to do...

Anyway, it is time to move out! The weather was nice these days! Thank you, Heaven. The first stop on today's itinerary was the State Coal Mine.

While waiting in the car park for WC to buy Burger King's vegetarian burgers, a seagull was curious about who was inside the car; it was so close that it was perfect for photos.

Like Feeding Steve (YouTube channel), I was wondering if it would sit down like Steve, and it did! Haha

OMG! Thank you, seagull.

Something interesting was seen in the sky: a mini one-punch cut through the sky! Haha

Along the way, WC would remind me of the ideal shot on the road, and I tried a few; it was enjoyable to have another person involved in finding an ideal road. We were on our way to Wonthaggi, a town whose name few locals will know. According to Wikipedia, "Wonthaggi" is an Australian Aboriginal name that means "home" in the Boonwurrung language. It had been used in the area before the town's founding on August 1, 1910. A long history!

We had arrived at the State Coal Mine.

Did you read that? You can receive free fertiliser as long as you return the bag. Haha, what a great way to share resources.

It is a unique experience to visit places without tall buildings in the background or beside them. It is so vast and unrestrictive to our minds that we can literally feel our moods and worries fade or heal.

Okay! Let's go! State Coal Mine!

Miner tokens caught my attention. Even though I wanted to help the organisation here, my wallet would not let me because I would be covering everyone's ticket costs for the tour guide.

Here's some information about this place. This site is free to visit, so take advantage of the opportunity to explore the Coal Mine.

(Credit Sf) I believe we are among the few foreigners who will visit this place. I doubt any tour groups will want to bring their clients here. I will share more later.

Speaking of tour guides, State Coal Mine has some experienced miners who can give an authentic underground mining tour, which only happens twice a day. So we were fortunate to arrive on time for the first session; otherwise, we might have had to wait for hours for the next.

This is the starting point for the underground tour.

We followed a group of visitors through a headquarters office.

Here were the job responsibilities of a light attendant: the miner might be the driving force behind the entire mining operation, but numerous unknown roles ensured the mining was completed safely.

Head lamp. In the past, I wondered how they kept their light bulbs lit without using batteries.

But we needed to gather in one of the rooms first, so I snapped at random. Why I took this photo... Err, why? Haha

Before we began exploring the mine, a gentleman instructed us on safety and rules.

Wearing a hair cover and a yellow helmet, we become junior miners.

A map that I am unable to read.

Before we proceeded, more explanation was required, particularly for the first 300m steep slope; some people are unable to engage in such a walk.

He opened the gate, and now it was time to enter the tunnel!

I will be in the back as a sweeper, so I can take photos.

OOO, miner token was hanging at the entrance before we went any further. I am still wondering what the miner token is for. Miners would take the token or tag whenever they went underground as a safety precaution to know who was underground at any given time; in an emergency, it was critical to know how many miners were underground.

The gates were closed to prevent unauthorised access.

Concrete walls and ceilings are used to preserve underground mining and keep everyone safe at all times.

Before we entered the raw part of the mining underground, we were greeted with the word "duck," which indicated where the real deal was.

A tall person's problem that he or she will have to deal with, which is troublesome, but the type of trouble I wanted. Haha

The slope was steep, and the wet ground made every step heavy and cautious, but they did their best, including placing a handle along the side and creating pocket cracks for extra traction on their feet.

It also got darker as you descended, which was fun.

Oops, I was left behind because I was busy taking pictures in the back.

Because I missed out on some information shared by an experienced miner, I attempted to extract some sensing from the remaining information and observed the setting. For this part, mining underground was difficult, and how did they communicate without a mobile phone or data? They used a simple Morse code style to communicate.

Have you noticed the material used to support the tunnel? Yes, the miners would have to buy their own logs whenever they continued mining to support and ensure the tunnel they dug was safe. The interesting thing was that they had to buy these resources with their own money first, and whether or not the tunnel they dug contained coal depended on their experience and luck. Fortunately, if there is no more coal, the log can be reused.

I took out my ultraviolet torch to see if the coal was luminescent or if there were any other minerals underground. And I came across some luminescent materials, like this orange glow.

Even on this rock, there is wording that indicates which team was working here.

A mining crate is an essential component of their mining tool for transporting coal, and they occasionally use horses.

There are numerous tunnel junctions where you may lose your way if you are alone.

I wanted to pose here, but was not given the chance. Haha, I had to follow the group.

Speaking of wood logs, take a look at what they did to construct the tunnel. Quite raw and makeshift.

One of the expenses was when they used a large metal crate for transportation.

So far, I have not found any luminescent minerals other than some random unknown materials. I tried coal, and it does not glow under UV light.

I am curious how they know where to begin or find the coal. Was it present in every underground location?

One interesting fact shared by the guide was that there are usually poisonous gases underground that have been trapped for millions of years. How can you tell if there is poison gas nearby? The miners will bring a bird with them, and if the bird becomes agitated or shows signs of death, the miners will be forced to leave the underground immediately because they have no idea where the poison gas will come from. They used a special fuel to detect the presence of unusual gases.

The miners would occasionally rely on rats as well. If they ran against you, it meant there was something dangerous ahead of you, as rats typically flee from you; if they did the opposite, it was a warning sign.

Animals are important partners for miners; on occasion, they have saved many miners. The miners would use horses to pull their equipment, but they would occasionally stop walking and even prevent the miners from moving forward, indicating the possibility of falling earth.

(Credit Sf) From the photo, I am not sure what I was doing... I was supposed to take pictures with the tunnel behind me, but my palm was stained with mud as I struggled to keep my footing. Haha

There’s a tight tunnel here, and a bunch of miners have/had to dig for coal without any fancy tools like electric drills; it’s all manual work and tough labour.

I shone my ultraviolet light on a wall, which had some yellow luminescent ink drawn on it.

He explained why coal was such an important resource in the past: it burns longer to create energy, especially before the use of fossil fuels increased. Regardless of the power source, Earth and humanity will suffer.

The miners here had never seen daylight except on Sunday because they entered the underground in the morning and exited at night, and they spent their days off in Melbourne cycling all night to see their loved ones. I am not sure what to say, but they were full of energy!

If they worked from day to night, where did they have their meals? They had created an opening on the side of the tunnel where they could eat and rest. Occasionally, rats would crawl alongside them while they were eating.

I have great admiration and respect for their hard work, which often goes unnoticed. The tunnels symbolise their lives, constantly moving in and out in pursuit of a livelihood. The tour was fruitful, and the guide was surprised to see that a group of Singaporeans would visit the State Coal Mine.

In the end, I discovered no luminescent minerals at high wavelengths, but I did discover a dust-like substance that luminesced in yellow, similar to gold. Unfortunately, I can not take a good picture of it with one hand because I need someone to hold the torch for me.

We received our miner token at the entrance, which indicated how many people had visited. I appreciate the gift.

Goodbye, Mine.

Take a look at the tools they previously used. In the past, there was limited technology and advanced tools, but they cultivated a group of hard-working and resilient people; however, today, there are very advanced tools and technology, but people appear to be more fragile.

Previously, they had a mini ride to enter the mine, but it was removed for safety and maintenance reasons. Personally, I prefer a walking tour.

Oh, they had a shaft? I did not see one during the underground tour.

A layout of an office

Oh, this is how their toilet looks. A toilet that I refuse to use. I wonder how quickly their clothes dry. Perhaps in Australia, the humidity is lower, so clothes dry faster.

Ooo, that's Locomotive K192 & Railway Wagons.

There are many bird shxt stains.

(Credit WC) Let us have a photo shoot, guys.

The train used coal as fuel, and this area was warm when operating, especially when the coal burner was right beside the operator...

So the train was running by stream or smoke?

After conducting research, I learnt a lot. Amazing how creative humans can be when given the opportunity, and thankfully, this did not last long or widely; perhaps in some parts of the world, but not everywhere. However, we also created new issues...

These are from older equipment and are in good condition.

The post office here was important for the miners, letting them send and receive letters from home.

(Credit WC) Unfortunately, despite the convenience of personal mobile phones designed for easy communication, the sense of distance between us appears to have increased...

This is what coal looks like: it is the result of millions of years of plant decay and is made up of a form of carbon mixed with elements like hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen, which are then transformed into fossil fuel.

Oh, this is the bird they used to detect even the smallest traces of poisonous gases in the area. What a significant sacrifice. They now have freedom. These birds resemble Singapore sparrows, but canaries are songbirds, whereas sparrows are chatty birds.

A notice board providing additional information about birds.

(Credit WC) Here's a house I would like to stay in; it is simple and looks like a typical kid's drawing.

I believe we will conclude our exploration here and proceed to another location. Thank you, State Coal Mine, for the informative tour.

I would like to express my respect and gratitude to those who worked as miners in the past.

Thank you, WC and Sf, for agreeing to visit this place. I doubt I will be able to come here without assistance. What a fruitful tour. If you have a vehicle and are nearby, include it in your itinerary.

This video depicts the life of a miner. If you are interested, go watch it.

State Coal Mine is an interesting place to learn about the history of Australia. Please keep in mind that there are only two times per day for the underground tour, which is led by an experienced guide who has previously worked in mines. Personally, we do not have many opportunities to explore tunnels or underground areas.

Jeff