Coalfields Museum

Across the road from Collie Visitors Centre is the Coalfields Museum. There were many rooms stuffed full of interesting objects; unfortunately no-one had curated the collection and put half of them away in storage. Maybe they didn’t have anywhere to store them.

Midwifery in Collie:

Underground mine:

Dentist’s chair and operating instruments:

I think I endured such treatment as a girl. When my mother came to collect me, she said my hair-slide was on the floor at the other side of the room!

Patchwork:


The first Australian wounded at Gallipoli arriving at Wandsworth Hospital in London:


Recruiting posters:

I have a photo of my Grandad in uniform, looking just like this young man. (He was a POW in Germany for a few years, living on potatoes and cabbage, he said):

Die together?

After the museum, we went to visit an open cast mine, the only one still operating. It was much bigger than the one in Kalgoorlie which I saw a few years ago:

There were many vehicles going to and fro, mainly taking the spoil to heaps at the top left of the photo. This mine supplies the fuel for Muja Power Station, which provides electricity for the SW of the State.

This is one of the huge shovels which has now been decommissioned:

The operator sat in the little box on the top left.

What an interesting afternoon in Collie!