The Metropolitan Colliery in Helensburgh is one of the earliest established and longest-running coal mines in Australia. The mine is an historic site in New South Wales for its enduring role in establishing the pattern of growth of Helensburgh township since the late 1800s. An economic pillar of the economy of the Illawarra town, the mine, owned by Peabody Energy Australia, is a daily hub of activity for nearly 600 employees. The high-quality coking coal mined at the Metropolitan travels by rail to neighbouring Port Kembla, from where it is shipped to both domestic and international destinations.
A day underground at Peabody Energy’s Metropolitan Colliery. SOTO Engineers have the expertise to make training/safety HD videos of any underground mining operation ‘on the spot’ with actual sound.’ This is a shorter, edited version of the full video, and was viewed by the families of the mine workers at the 130th anniversary celebrations
Located within the Royal National Park, the world’s second-oldest national park, the Metropolitan – known locally as the Helensburgh Mine – is renowned for its environmental and technical innovation. This includes an Australian-first trial of underground emplacement of reject material. The colliery thrums with activity 500 metres below the mine’s buildings, which nestle in a natural valley within the Park. Mine workers use a high-speed lift to travel down, and are then transported by rail through large, 130-year-old tunnels for five kilometres, before switching to jeeps to go deeper into the mine through a warren of smaller tunnels. The final stretch to the coalface is on foot, where the day’s work begins, about an hour after the mine workers left the surface.
The Metropolitan Colliery is today part of Peabody Energy’s portfolio of 11 coal mines across Eastern Australia. The coal extracted half a kilometre down in the Illawarra powers electricity generation throughout Australia and Asia. In a different way, it also powers the cultural energy of the local community, as it has reliably done for more than a century.
SOTO Consulting Engineers use specialised camera equipment to shoot underground mining environments in HD with actual sound. Enquire now for information on shooting high quality training or safety videos on the spot for your mine.
