Anglesea Coal Mine
Posted by: 
ThePacman
S 38° 24.150 E 144° 09.653
55H E 252078 N 5745707
Alcoa's Anglesea open-cut coal mine produced high quality brown coal from 1959 to 2015.
Waymark Code: WMNYHC
Location: Victoria, Australia
Date Posted: 05/24/2015
Views: 5
The Anglesea open-cut brown coal mine commenced operations in 1959, supplying coal to industry and institutions in the Geelong area. The mining rights covered an area of 18,200 acres of leasehold land in the region. Total economic mineable reserves were an estimated 70 million long tons in the upper seam, and another 90 million long tons in the lower seams. The overburden to coal ratio averaged around 2,5:1.
The total thickness of the coal seams is about 140 metres, with an average coal thickness of 27 metres and layers of sands and clays approximately 40 metres thick. The open-cut mine has a depth of about 60 metres below sea level. Brown coal and overburden are moved within the mine using mechanical excavators and 60 tonne dump trucks.
The coal deposits at Anglesea, laid around 40 million years ago, have a very high calorific value of about 15 megajoules per kilogram - twice the average value of coal in nearby regions.
Over 1 million tonnes of brown coal were mined annually to feed the boilers at Alcoa's nearby power station.
Despite the high quality of the coal, economic, community and environmental pressures forced Alcoa to announce the closure of the mine at the end of 2015.
Roughly 80 million tonnes of the coal remained unmined.
Mine Type: Working Mine
Mineral Collecting: No
Material Mined: Coal, Lignite
Operation: Opencast Mine
Surface Features: Yes
KNOWN DANGERS:
Dedicated viewing areas are provided along Coalmine Road
Any associated website: [Web Link]
Any Other information: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Optional photograph welcomed.