Balmain Places 2
Balmain Coal Mine

Peter Reynolds
Revised edition Balmain Association 2022

The Coal Mine – Under the Harbour

Sydney Harbour was a bustling port in the second half of the 19th century with Balmain a centre of maritime industry. Many waterfront activities, for example Morts Dock, repaired and built ships which relied on coal as a source of power.
In the 1890s Balmain was declining as a pleasant place to live. Another heavy industry would accelerate its decline – the coal mine.

Below Sydney harbour, the Bulli coal seam swept along the coast between Newcastle and Wollongong about 950m below sea level. To tap this seam within Sydney harbour would eliminate transport cost, provide a local supply of coal, and allow ships to be loaded for export.

This booklet provides details of the mine shafts, their construction and operation and the impact on the community through to the sealing of the shafts in 1945.

Soft Cover, 16 pages, second edition 2022

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