THE Friends of the State Coal Mine in Wonthaggi, the only historic coal mine experience in the Southern Hemisphere, are worried.
They are particularly concerned that the 120 volunteers, who support the operation of the historic attraction, are becoming disenchanted with the lack of action, and the lack of answers from the mine site managers, Parks Victoria.
“There’s been a complete lack of action by Parks Victoria. It makes you wonder if they are the organisation that should be responsible for the State Coal Mine,” said long-serving volunteer Sheila Ormerod.
“When are they going to reopen the café and resume the underground mine tours? There needs to be a sense of urgency injected into this now,” she said.
“We want to preserve the volunteer base. There is a lot of knowledge, skills and energy within the group to support the operation of the mine site but we just want to be able to tell them what Parks Victoria and the State Government are planning to do.
“We’re concerned they are drifting away due to the lack action and a lack of answers from Parks.
“We’ve seen examples in the last few days of what the coal mining heritage means to this community, with the new signs erected at the Number 20 Shaft and the unveiling of a coal-to-renewables statue.
“But the story of coal mining in Wonthaggi, from 1910 to 1968, is a key part of the history and development of Victoria, and the foundation of the union movement.”
Ms Ormerod joined other Friends including president of the group, Steve Harrop, himself a volunteer for over 30 years, John Duscher and Frank Angarane, whose family members worked in the mines locally, to discuss a way forward on Wednesday this week.
They say they had tried to organise a meeting with a Parks Victoria representative during the past week, with no success.
Chief among their concerns is when the popular mine café will be reopened, after Parks Victoria failed to appoint a new lessee in January, when underground mine tours will recommence after being discontinued during COVID and when they can expect constructive engagement with Parks Victoria.
In the absence of either action or information, the group say they have had to call a public meeting, for Wednesday, March 29, at 7pm at the Wonthaggi Workmen’s Club.
Anyone with an interest in the State Coal Mine and the coal mining heritage of Wonthaggi is urged to attend.
Bass MP Jordan Crugnale, who has been making representations to Government Ministers on behalf of the Friends and the mine, will be there.
And if not a representative of Parks Victoria, then Ms Crugnale is expecting to receive a detailed briefing from the department with which to address some of the concerns.
“Our Friends of the State Coal Mine are passionate, committed volunteers who want to see the site be at its best and of course have the tours reopen,” said Ms Crugnale this week.
“I have met with representatives of the group, listened to their concerns and sought answers to their questions.
“We importantly discussed big picture future opportunities of the site as a whole and I see the need for some proper community visioning and master-planning so it can become a signature tourism, eco and educational destination with a myriad of offerings, activities and learnings.
“I have spoken with Ministers in the portfolio areas of Regional Development, Tourism and Environment to ascertain funding avenues to explore to do this visioning work with the Friends, local and visitor community members and Parks.
“This aspect is very early days.
“I have also asked for a briefing from Parks Victoria representatives which is happening next week so as to get a comprehensive understanding of where they are at with their investigations to reintroduce underground tours and options around the café lease process.”
They are encouraging words.
But the Friends of the State Coal Mine say there has been little or no commitment to action since the underground tours were stopped and the café closed in January this year.
“Wonthaggi is a big regional centre and it’s only going to get bigger, we know that. It needs a major tourist attraction to complement what we have naturally and for the local economy,” said Frank Angarane, a former major events professional.
“It’s a unique attraction, an opportunity to show future generations how people used to work. We want to see it realise it’s full potential,” he said.
“We welcome the department’s master plan for the site, to increase usage and visitation, but that’s further down the track. We want to know when Parks Victoria intends to reopen the café and restart the mine tours,” said Steve Harrop.
He said the ‘Drift Car’ which was used to winch groups of visitors down into the underground mine had been under repair at Bendigo Engineering for more than a year, but with no idea when it would be reassembled and approved for a return to operation.
“We also need to realign the rails and recertify the winch. When is that going to happen.”
“Time is of the essence,” said John Duscher.
“We need this to happen now or else we could lose these people,” he said of the skilled and experienced volunteers.”
Even with the café closed and the underground mine tours not operating, the 112-acre mine site is well used by the community and remains a popular stopping off point for visitors.
But the café was well used by locals throughout the year, while providing the perfect resting place for travelers and the underground tours were always the highlight of a visit to Wonthaggi’s much-loved State Coal Mine.
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