Not far east of Bunbury is the town of Collie. Just like the place we call home, Collie is on the map due to rich history of coal mining. The coal over here is a bit different from the stuff back home, it doesn't emit any methane, which allows for different processes to take place in the stuffs extraction.
The information centre has some cool old trains sitting outside you can check out, but they also offer a guided underground mining tour. We had an old retired miner show us around a mock mine, sharing tales of the process, hardships and shenanigans he and his old work mates used to get up to. He also gave insight on how horses were used in the mines. There usefulness and stubbornness gave the mining of the era a certain charm. His stories were quite interesting and it really sheds some light on the hardships the Aussie miners of old had it, definitely not quite paid or treated as well as the modern miner!
After enjoying a bit of the historical side of town, we decided to go relax with a stroll down Minninup Pool. This is the waterhole the locals frequent on a hot day, it's got all the facilities you need for a barby and plenty of ducks to quack at.
Another thing we found quite amusing with Collie was the similarities in area names it had with Newcastle. Both being British penal colony mining towns must have something to do with their sharing a few common area names like Stockton and Cardiff. Stockton Lake is a really pretty looking waterhole. We didn't go swimming in there though as the lake is actually an old open cut mine that's been flooded and she's a bit alkaline.
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