Summary
Raw footage of below ground and above ground mining recreations shot for the documentary Last Stand At Nymboida (2010). Shot on 16mm film underground at the Eastern Area Wonthaggi Tourist Mine, featuring three Wonthaggi volunteer miners. Wonthaggi was chosen as the site of the recreations given its similar underground geology of narrow and difficult working conditions, as well as its public accessibility as a tourist mine.
The footage contains scenes of miners hammering machinery, removing circuit breakers, walking with picks through the tunnels, miners on their knees picking the coal face, crawling through the narrow workings, putting up wooden props, on their knees shoveling and picking coal, miners pushing skips and walking the heading, shoveling coal on their sides, miners shoveling coal in front of the bord, as well as close ups of rocks, slag and a drill bit turning in a hole. The footage ends with the two miners walking out of the mine, locking the gate and a miner putting a box of explosives on the floor.
Special Notes/Achievements
Commissioned by the Mineworkers Trust.
Recreations shot for the documentary Last Stand At Nymboida (2010). Shot on 16mm film, entire footage is available as SD digital video, with many sections also available as HD digital video.
Author: J Bird, 2023