IF LITTLE changes Wonthaggi will see the biggest town meeting since the coal days, that’s what the Friends of State Coal Mine (FSCM) stated noting that the impassioned pleas of volunteers, locals and Friends are going unnoticed.
The cherished historical site has sat untouched for over a year with the usual buzzing of holiday activity a distant memory. It’s hoped the reopening of the café over the weekend will change that, but the Friends are also frustrated at being recoiled into the side room – a decision made by Parks Victoria without any consultation with FSCM or according to the president, the new café lessee.
“We were told we had to move into this area,” Friends of the State Coal Mine President Steve explained with fellow volunteer Margaret noting the Friends had not taken residence in the space since the building opened near on 20 years ago.
“There has been absolutely no consultation – and after speaking with the new café lessee they were just as shocked for us to have moved from the space by the front door.”
Religated to the small side room, no doubt the new café will be inundated with questions from would-be visitors about the site and non-existent mine tours.
“Being in front of the door we were able to filter whether people wanted information on the State Coal Mine, tours or simply were visiting the café. That will now no doubt fall on whoever is at the café till.”
Those behind the till are new business partners Nicole Pearson and Macy Hambrook, who have been overwhelmed with support on their reopening.
“We had our work cut out for us – we are exhausted,” Nicole smiled on Monday happily explaining the support over the weekend was beyond expectations.
“We brought something back to the community that people have wanted for so long.”
Serving a variety of fresh local produce well and at a good price is the duos aim with their familiar faces once behind the counter at the Coffee Collective.
“Everything is homemade with local fish sourced from San Remo and a variety that includes gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options.”
And whilst the cafe was abuzz over the weekend with the new opening, the tours are still a distant thought with the drift cart sitting in pieces.
“(The mine) is the best kept secret in Australia,” Steve continued.
“For a while I was biting my tongue, but I’ve got to the stage now where it’s just frustrating – we are almost at the point of another public meeting.
“The café should have been reopened last year and our drift car should have been done prior to COVID.”
The drift cart passed a structural integrity test with flying colours during COVID but now sits locked away in pieces with no information of when it will be pieced back together, and that’s just one part of the complexities with health and safety requirements further exacerbating frustrations.
“We are in the dark. We’ve got (one man) who kept his workshop empty for the carts return, so we could go all go there and work on it, but we’re not allowed to.
“We’ve got gas detection gear underground that has been decommission, because (from our understanding) WorkSafe has this idea that if the alarm goes off there might not be someone in the office, so now, everyone has to carry a personal gas monitor with them – I have no idea how much this has been costing; we’ve never had an issue with gas… The natural ventilation keeps the air quality good (in the mine).”
Highlighting the fact a fan is now run down the mine – a wasted fact if those dictating the messages understood how the mine was initially designed and worked – perhaps it is time to bring back the canaries.
“We need to keep the story alive of the mine and the miners who lost their lives – they’d be turning in their graves if they new what was going on now,” Steve stated.
“(The carts) have never derailed – we ran the old wooden skips for 21 years without incident – they had automatic braking if the rope ever came off, which never happened; but the brakes were simple and effective.
“The cage on wheels is so unreliable now, it was okay when it first came, but it is so over engineered – it’s an absolute nightmare.”
Nevertheless, the community remain hopeful – the café reopening is a significant step forwards, now, its time to get the wheels back on the tracks.