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The Dictionary of Sydney
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Balmain Coal Mine 2 August 1950

Balmain Coal Mine 2 August 1950

From the collection of the

State Library of New South Wales

[hood_25569 / Home & Away 25569]

(Mitchell Library)

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Balmain Colliery

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Mining

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Balmain Colliery Birchgrove

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State Library of New South Wales

Balmain Colliery

Attempts to mine the coal under Sydney started in the 1870s but, despite the efforts of several companies and a miners' cooperative, the Balmain Colliery was never a commercially successful producer of coal or gas and finally closed in 1950.

Mining

Balmain Colliery

Coal mine established at Birchgrove in 1897 in an attempt to access the rich vein of coal which ran under Sydney from Newcastle to the Illawarra. It was the deepest ever worked in Australia and later produced methane gas, but was not a commercial success.

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Birchgrove

Wealthy waterfront suburb located on the north west slope of the Balmain peninsula. It is named after Birch Grove House, home of John Birch, paymaster of the 73rd Regiment.

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