Summary
Shot in the late 1980s, this short documentary takes us underground with former miner Fred Brown on a tour of the Eastern Area Tourist Mine at the Wonthaggi State Coal Mine. After explaining the layout of the mine at the tunnel mouth, Fred walks down the tunnel, reaching the underground workings. There he demonstrates the scrapper loader and signalling system, explains how support timbers warn of danger, meets a pit pony and talks about their role in the mine, shows how winning coal and shot firing was conducted at the coalface, he demonstrates the use of sprags in skip wheels as well as signalling the winch up top to transport him out of the mine.
Special Notes/Achievements
This bonus material was created from footage and sound shot during production of Black Gold, Kindred Spirits. It was released in 2012 as bonus material on the Black Gold, Kindred Spirits DVD.
Author: J Bird, 2023