North Bulli Colliery view from range
The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser newspaper sent a “special reporter” to Coledale to capture this fantastic imagery of the escarpment coal mine, which was published on Wednesday February 1 1905.
Coledale’s first coal mine was opened in 1889 but was abandoned because of problems with underground water. This mine was redeveloped as the North Bulli Colliery in 1902 and was connected by rail to the Illawarra railway.
The North Bulli Colliery was officially opened in early November 1903.
The mine had an incline down the hillside and a railway siding. One hundred hands were employed.
Coal cutting machines were installed in the mine and production increased during 1904. The 50 coke ovens built in 1905 were increased to around 100 in 1908.
The North Bulli Colliery closed in 1926. Several attempts were made to re-open the mine and cokeworks during the Depression years but it was eventually abandoned.
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