2 Geckos Travelling Australia: Tues, 18th Nov, 2014 Pyramid Rock Lookout carpark to Bear Gully Campground

Had the blind up so we could enjoy the sunrise over the ocean but big black clouds blocked it out. The van had a nice rock last night from the wind but it was a lovely place to stop. Left a couple of things to do when we come back again. Somes caves, Churchill Island and the Chocolate Shop. Headed back across the island to cross the bridge into San Remo. Turned right heading for Wonthaggi. Saw a Lookout sign but it was just a road end with a view. Could be an ok place for an overnight stay. Would be nicer on a clear day.

Great shot of the crashing waves as we headed into Kilcunda.

Stopped at the Info Centre at Wonthaggi for maps etc. The chap suggested we visit the State Coal Mine just out of town. It was a major coal mine that supplied all the coal for Victoria’s industries and railways. He said when he was digging in his backyard he hit concrete and found an underground bunker that was put in from war times in case the Germans attacked. If they took out the mine and town there would be no coal to make power and run the trains etc.

The Victorian Parks are now running the mine as a tourist attraction with the help of volunteers. We had the best coffee and yummies there. The lady’s daughter made all these crocheted items.

Jack, the volunteer, took us and another couple on an hour and half guided tour of the mine surface for free. There is an underground mine tour too for a fee. He was born here but his father was injured in the mine so they moved to Melbourne. Jack came back and married a Wonthaggi girl and has lived here since then. His grandfather worked in the mine too and his grandmother was the nurse/midwife that worked for the local doctor, Dr Sleeman, who had his practice here for 57 years. So much information and amazing the work the volunteers have done and are still doing to improve the place. Great model display of the mine, took the chap 3 years to make.

The miners all started living in tents from 1909 which they had to hire from the Government then they progressed to the cottages. The mine was worked till 1968.

Any chance that get to acquire items for display, they grab. The gramophone came from a hard rubbish collection (left on side of road).

The wash house for body and clothes.

The volunteers grow everything they used to grow in the past.

Gooseberries

Grapes - the lady said they are the most delicious she has tasted.

The strawberries are to die for too.

The outhouse had a great poem on it.

A few chooks and fruit trees.

The garden was beautiful.

The roses were so fragrant.

The ammunition hut was lined with sawdust.

Massive wheels that held and rolled up the cables in the poppet head to raise and lower the lift down the mine shaft.

Lots of information to read but Jack was doing a great job explaining it all with lots of stories too. Young boys started at the mine aged 14 working in the shed at the top sorting the coal from rock. At 16 they hooked and unhooked the coal wagons as them were pulled up from the mine. At 18 they worked with the pit ponies and at 20 they could start working on the pit face digging out the coal. It was a weird payment system for the miners as they got paid according to how much coal they pulled out. They each had a number and it was put on their cart as it was pulled out. If they put too much rock in with the coal they were docked money. I could hardly tell the different between the black rock and the coal expect the coal was shiny. They would work as a team with a few other miners and at the end of the pay time would pool their money and divide it evenly as sometimes they might get an area that didn’t have good coal etc. This way they got good wages. The first miners were recruited from the Victorian goldfields in 1910. Within a year the labour force at the State Coal Mine had grown to over 1000. It reached 1700 between the peak years of 1928 to 1930. When the mine closed in 1968 there were only 100 men employed.

They used open carbide lights and battery lights that had to be check all the time.

Safety was important. The Davies light had a safety feature that if poisonous gas was present it would change colour and if oxygen was getting low it would let you know. Amazing for that era of time.

A diorama of the mine shaft with the timber uprights etc.

The mine started in 1915 and ran on and off till 1968. The mines under this area if laid out in a straight line would 4800km.

After the end of the mine, Lou Storti, an Italian immigrant who had worked in the mine since 1949, bought it with a few other Italians and worked it for a bit. A film crew in 1981 wanted to use it in a movie “Strike-bound” so that started the beginning of it being used for as a tourist venture from 1983. He is now 83 and still takes people on underground tours. A picture of Wonthaggi with the mullock heaps of the mine at the back of the picture. The town wasn't over the mine - not like Bendigo.

The whistle can still be heard in town. Jack said as kids they used the whistle for lunch and home time. He said the 11.30pm one was great too as the girls had to be home by midnight!!

This is why Steve was finding so many little tacks while detecting – the old hobnail boots.

They would support the mine with these timber supports.

After they had extracted all the coal they would tie a rope to it and the pony and then pull down the supports so it would collapse. That way there wasn’t vast areas for methane gas to build up in which could lead to explosions. One of the worst was in 1937 claiming 13 lives of the managers etc left to maintain the mine while the miners were on a big strike. Lucky for the miners I suppose as if they had been working there would have been 150 to 200 miners lost. Sad for those families though who lost their loved ones.

Heaps of photos.

Jack said that the rock that was pulled out with the coal was crushed and used to surface the running track for the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.

Checking out the coal – hard to tell the difference between rock and coal. The coal is the shiny bit and if the rock is half half it is counted as rock. There was 17 million tonnes of coal hand shovelled into skips from this mine. Amazing and in some very cramp spaces too. They would be in the dark with just their little head lamps for 8 hours a day.

The blacksmith’s shop was very important and made so many things to help with the mine.

Into the pony stable. This is the face guard the ponies wore so they didn’t get hurt.

They were well looked after, their stables were cleaned all the time.

The coal dray could carry a ton of coal and would go around town to deliver coal to the families for their home use.

A bullock’s yolk – I have one of those u shaped things at home that a chap gave me - he said it was from the bullocks from Millaa house.

They have steam train and carriages but don’t have enough funds to repair them.

The sorting shed at the top of the hill where the young boys sorted the rock from the coal.

Entrance to the mine.

The mullock heap at the back.

All the miners had a tag so they knew where everyone was.

It was very interesting and makes us appreciate how easy we have it today. Loved their letterbox.

Headed down the road to Cape Paterson and had lunch by the beach – well in the van as the wind was still blowing and cold.

Walked down the boat ramp – would have to be high tide to get a boat in here. Found a beautiful rock pool which looks like had been reinforced on the ends with concrete. There was lots of steel post holes etc so must have been more things around the rock pool area.

As we walked back up I thought the point looked like a face side profile.

Followed the coast along the Bunurong Drive. Stopped at Twin Reefs lookout.

Then tried to turn into Shack Bay that the Info chap said had room for a van – ha ha – no way so had to back out and up the road to get out. They don’t have enough room on the road to pull off and they need better signs – on my bandwagon again – should do up a list for Councils!! The next one was better at Eagles Nest – lots of parking room but no toilets!!

Looking down to The Caves.

Looking up and down the coast from Eagles Nest.

Round to The Caves. Better angle of Eagles Nest.

They carry out dinosaur digs here in the summer time on the flat rocks. Lots of info about it as we head down the stairs to the beach below.

Maybe these are fossils!!

Wandered around the point to The Caves but the tide was in too far to be able to climb down into the caves.

Lots of weird rock formations here. Certainly looks prehistoric. We never see any crabs or any animals in the pools though.

This was another tight carpark. Had to wait for some other cars to leave so we made a cuppa.

Steve spotted a black thing out to sea bobbing so took a photo then got out the binoculars – we had hoped it was a seal but it might have been a bird too – seal sounds better though.

Into Inverloch – lovely old boat.

Along the Esplanade overlooking Anderson Inlet. A large body of water fed by Screw Creek at Inverlock and Tarwin River at Tarwin Lower and out to sea via Venus Bay. Looks lovely and not all windblown.

We saw wind farms in the distance and these men were raising the new power poles and putting up the wires. The dairy cows were just crossing over the road as we got there. Oh the smell!! Have enjoyed driving with the window down as we don't need air conditioning or the heater (just put up the windows and the sun warms us).

From Inverloch we followed the road around Anderson Inlet to Tarwin Lower then back up the sea side of the Inlet to Venus Bay. Back on the beach and Venus Bay and the Bass Strait winds. Notices about Pipi collecting – there were a heap of Asian people with buckets of pipis. We were only at No. 1 Beach so will have to come back and check out the National Park at the end.