Miners at the pithead of a coal mine at Walloon, 1890
Photo: Rosewood Scrub Historical Society
Rosewood History
Coal Mines in the Rosewood District
© Jane Schy 2024
Published 11/02/24
Links
Queensland Twenty Chain Series Rosewood Mine Map – Geological Survey of Queensland
Map of Rosewood -Walloon Coalfield showing Principal Working and Abandoned Mines – 1949
The minimum wage rates for employees in coal mining industry – 10th January 1955
The Geological Survey of Queensland (GSQ) Open Data Portal
Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing and Regional and Rural Development
Pit Ponies were used to pull coal wagons where height permitted in the local coal mines.
The photo above was taken in 1920 in Q.C. Gauchalland Mine. (Maryborough Fraser Coast Regional Council)
Map of coalfield – Queensland Department of Mines 1960
LIST OF COAL MINES
If you can assist with information about this list, please contact me. hello@rosewoodpasttimes.com
Amberfield 1948 -1955 Proprietors: Amberley Rylance Group
Snippets about Amberfield Colliery
Ardath 1930- July 1935 Lanefield Proprietors: Alexander Lawrie and D. S. Anderson
Snippets about Ardath Colliery
Caledonian – Thagoona Mine
Caledonian 1888 Walloon John Rea’s Shaft (Rea Seam) 1.5 metres thick, and in three sections. By 1900 it was in the hands of John Wright and his partner William Robert Black and the manager was Charles Williams. In 1903 Arthur Boughen was the manager.
Caledonian No 1 1925 -1928 Thagoona
Caledonian No 2 1925-1947
Caledonian No 3 1931-1951
Caledonian No 4 1938-1951 Abandoned in 1951 because of excessive water seepage from the overlying strata.
Caledonian No 5 1940-1966 Approximately 38.6 km north-west of Walloon Railway Station. This area was first worked from the Caledonian No 4 Colliery, which was 25 chains to the north-north-east and was commenced in 1938.
Caledonian No 6 1960-1966
Caledonian No 7 1960-1966
Snippets about the Caledonian Colliery
Photos from Picture Ipswich Caledonian Colliery
Clarefield Colliery 1924-1928 Thagoona/Walloon Proprietor: Thomas Burnside Clark snr.
Situated half a kilometre west of where Moorlands mine had operated briefly in 1877, on the south side of the Ipswich to Rosewood railway line. It was opened by Thomas Burnside Clark and closed due to new ventilation rules.
Clarefield Colliery No 2 1937-1930
Clarefield Colliery No 3 1946-1950
Snippets about Clarefield Colliery
Clydebank 1925 Walloon Clydebank Colliery Proprietary Ltd (H. Walker, T. Walker, V. Walker)
The colliery, formerly known as Walloon, in the Walloon district, has changed ownership, and has been renamed “Clydebank Colliery.” (February 1925).
Clydebank No 2, No 3, No 4
Clydebank No 5 Lanefield
Snippets about Clydebank Colliery
Commonwealth Colliery Limited Rosewood 1903
In January 1903 coal was discovered in Rosewood on William James Hodge’s (local butcher) land. The land was about a mile (1.6km) or so on the Ipswich side of the township along the railway line, which he used for a slaughter-yard. The intention was to work the same seam as at Moorland’s but on the northern side of the railway line. Unfortunately the company went bankrupt and the venture was short-lived.
Snippets about the Commonwealth Colliery
Duckenfield Colliery 1930
Photo: Rosewood Scrub Historical Society
Duckenfield 1926-1928 200 meters west of Westvale Colliery No 2, Lanefield.
Snippets about the Duckenfield Colliery
Edenbank 1920 John Hardie opened a small tunnel mine on a low spur of Perry’s Nob east of Rosewood – abandoned in 1925 it was the last mine that Hardie worked.
Excelsior 1907 – 1913 North Rosewood (alongside the Marburg Railway line) – opened by the Bedworth Colliery Syndicate
1910 – Henry Harris sank a shaft to the Butler Seam for the Ipswich and Rosewood Coal and Coke Company Limited, and laid a tramway to bunkers which he built by the railway line 600 metres away. He took on nine hands and the company circulated optimistic reports about the prospects for their Excelsior Mine. Then Harris suddenly announced that coal production could not commence until a siding had been laid to the railway line. A fortuitous fire destroyed the engine-house and some of the machinery. Harris dismantled the other structures, and the company quietly abandoned the project.
Snippets about the Excelsior Colliery
Glencoe No 1 1905 North Rosewood – Leased by John F. Hall (Halls Limited) on William Domrow’s property. (1.2 to 1.5 metres thick, and in three sections). Six members of the Potts family took a sub-lease for the mining rights.
Hall closed the mine in February 1911 until such time as the Rosewood-Marburg branch line would be finished, using the intervening time for driving a second (or No.2) tunnel to the seam and building coal bunkers ready for a siding.
Glencoe No 2 1911 – The mine reopened in November 1911 with Alexander McLean as manager.
Glencoe No 3 1915-1920
Glencoe No 4 1921
Glencoe No 5
Glencoe No 6
Glencoe Extended 1960-1963
Glencoe Extended No 2 1962-1969
Snippets about the Glencoe Colliery
Photos at Picture Ipswich – Glencoe Mine
Gowrie Fern Mine 1923-1925 200 metres south of Clydebank.
Haigmoor Colliery (Tivoli) joined with three Rosewood Collieries and operated until 26 May 1979.
Idemitsu Colliery – Ebenezer Mining Company Pty Ltd, 350 Coopers Road, Willowbank.
Owners: Idemitsu Kosan Co Ltd (Closed 1997)
Jeebropilly Mine 1982-2019 Amberley – Proprietors: New Hope Group (open cut)
Jeebropilly Mine was the last in the Walloon Series to close in December 2019.
Lanefield No 1 1918-1927 Proprietor: John Mitchell Bruce. Situated on Mr. Daniel Crane’s property.
Worked by John Wright and Co. (Elizabeth A. Wright, John Wright, and Andrew Wright)
Lanefield No 2 1921
Lanefield No 3
Lanefield No 4
Lanefield No 5 Lanefield – Lanefield No. 5 Mine Area, comprising mining leases 397, 490 (formerly application 342), 461, and 483, was held in the names of J. M. Bruce, A. J. Loveday, W. N. Ruhno, and N. G. Bruce, trading as Lanefield Collieries.
Lanefield Extended Lanefield
Lanefield Extended No 2 Mt Walker Rd, Rosewood
Lanefield Extended No 3 1945-1954 Ebenezer
Snippets about the Lanefield Colliery
Little Jim 1918 – John Mitchell Bruce sank a shaft east of Rosewood for James Boughen. Closed after six years. Reopened as Rosewood No. 1 Colliery in 1931.
(1.5 metres thick in two sections)
Lowfield No 1 1925-1948 Lanefield – Wass Brothers (W. G. F. and H. N. Wass)
Lowfield No 2 1938-1951 North Rosewood
Snippets about the Lowfield Colliery
Malabar Nos 1-10
Malabar No 1 Opened in 1929 Marburg Just north of Roughrigg Collieries, near Mountain Ash No 2. Proprietors: A. and R. Lawrie
Malabar No 2 The old Mountain Ash No 2 pit was reopened in 1934 and renamed Malabar No 2.
Malabar No 3 Coal produced came from same seam as No 2.
Malabar No 4. In 1935 a second seam was exploited from this tunnel.
These two seams, which were referred to as the Little and Big seams respectively, were worked in subsequent years from another eight tunnels – the Little seam in Malabar Nos. 5 and 10 Collieries and the Big seam in Malabar Nos. 6-9 and New Malabar Nos. 1-2 Collieries.
New Malabar No 1, No 2 No 1 was abandoned in 1954 due to inability to control roof pressure. A further attempt to reach these reserves by means of a new tunnel (New Malabar No. 2) was made in the period 1954-56 but without success.
Snippets about the Malabar Colliery
Moorland Coal Pits 1877 Rosewood – Messrs J. & J. Moore Abandoned in 1878.
26th April 1877 – The coal-pit of the brothers Moore is progressing favourably, and it will not be long before they will be down on the coal-seam.
Moorefield No 1 1933 Walloon
Moorefield No 2 Walloon
Moorefield No 3 Amberley
Snippets about Moorefield Colliery
Mountain Ash No 1 1924-1928 Malabar near Marburg – Mountain Ash Collieries Limited
Mountain Ash No 2 1925-1926 North face of Perry’s Knob.
Snippets about Mountain Ash Colliery
Mountain View No 1 (1944), No 2 (1946-1952) – Tallegalla
New Mountain View 1952-1954 Tallegalla Proprietor: Mr. E. Petie Manager: Mr. J. Wood
Snippets about Mountain View Colliery
Photo at right: Jackson Barram loading coal at Tallegalla c.1960.
Mt Elliott No 1 1929 Amberley – situated on William Elliott’s property – Mt. Elliott Coal Company. William Elliott became associated with the company in 1938. He died in 1943.
Mt Elliott No 2
Mt Elliott Extended No 1 Amberley
On 29th May 1950, Edgar Dolmon Stubbersfield, Reginald Alwyn Brooker, Cecil Frederick Bunter, Roy Wass, Philip Bernard Fallu (trading as Mt. Elliott Coal Company) applied for the lease of an unnamed road containing seven acres two roods thirty-two perches, being the road separating Portion 178 Parish of Jeebropilly to the East from Portions 179, 184, 185, and 186 Parish of Jeebropilly. Bounded on the North by the main Ipswich-Rosewood Road and on the South by a further unnamed road.
Snippets about Mount Elliott Colliery
Mt Elliott Coal Mine owned by William Elliott, Amberley, Ipswich, 1929. Picture Ipswich
Neath No 1, No 2 1949-1956 Langtons Road
Snippets about the Neath Colliery
Normanton Colliery No 1 1922-1974 Rosewood
Two local families, the Boughens and the Trewicks, opened a little mine a few hundred metres east of Edenbank in 1922.
Normanton Open Cut -1974-1979
Normanton Colliery No 2 1947-1954 Mt Marrow
Snippets about the Normanton Colliery
Syd Trewick 1949
Oakleigh Perrys Knob – absorbed the Glencoe, Perry’s Nob and Mountain Ash mines.
Oakleigh No 1 1928-1948
Oakleigh No 3 1948-1999 – The Oakleigh Colliery Company began business in 1948 when the Rule family acquired the operation. In November 1973 an open cut mine opened.
Oakleigh No 4 1961-1967
Oakleigh No 5 1984-1999
Snippets about Oakleigh Colliery
The New Oakleigh Open Cut Rosewood 1999-25/01/2013
Owned by New Hope. New Hope acquired New Oakleigh from Sumitomo Coal in 1999. The mine closed down all mining activities at the site to focus on rehabilitation work. The reason for the closure was that the mine ran out of coal.
Rosemount Colliery No 1 1931-1934 Perry’s Knob
Rosemount No 2 1934-1940 In May 1934 a new tunnel was being driven north of Glencoe Colliery at North Rosewood. Rosemount Colliery Pty. Ltd. Proprietors:- E. W. Richardson, C. W. J. Richardson, F. Yarrow and D. A. Berlin.
Rosemount No 3
Rosemount No 4 1942-1969 Mt Walker Road. Payslip
The Minutes of Rosemount Colliery 1937-1940 – Courtesy of Spencer Yarrow
Snippets about Rosemount Colliery
Rosewood Collieries, Limited January 1903 – Launched by William Andrews, Thomas Murray and Will Haenke.
A company was formed with Martin William Haenke, an Ipswich architect, as Managing Director. Matthew Patterson was Manager. The company was registered in Ipswich and traded as Rosewood Collieries, Limited. About 1600 shares were allotted and fully paid up. Some of 
the shares were held by friends of Will Haenke in Melbourne. The company financed the sinking of a shaft south of the railway line some 200 metres east of Rosewood railway station.
On 30th May 1903, the company entered into a contract with Henry Steele to take out coal at 5s per ton. According to Will Haenke, on 9th July, an agreement between himself, Steel and Patterson was made whereby Steel and Patterson formed a partnership and Haenke, as Managing Director, would receive one third of the profits without being responsible for any debts. However, Steele and Patterson maintained that Haenke was also a partner.
In August 1904, the Melbourne shareholders thought that a deeper shaft would improve the quality of the coal, so in October Haenke authorised the sinking. Thomas N. Smith, William Cook, and James Simmonds were employed to do the labour. In October, when it came time to pay the men’s wages, Haenke said the company was not liable to pay their wages as they had been employed by Steele and Patterson. The matter ended up in the Ipswich Court in December when the three employees sued the company for unpaid wages. The men were awarded their claim by the Court in February 1905, by which time the company was in liquidation.
Rosewood Colliery No 1 1931-1951 (Hardie Seam 1.2 to 1.5 metres thick, and in two sections).
Rosewood Colliery No 2 1941-1971 (John Seam 1.5 metres thick, and in two sections) Closed 1971 and joined with Normanton and United No 8 as one company.
Rosewood No. 2 Colliery was situated 1.6km east-north-east of Rosewood Railway Station. The workings lay within Coal Mining Leases Nos. 305 and 306 held by Ernest Joynson and party trading as Rosewood Colliery Company.
Snippets about Rosewood Colliery
Roughrigg No 4 1939-1949
Roughrigg No 5 1955-1969 (Mining leases Nos 439, 440)
Roughrigg No 6 1948–1950
Roughrigg No 7 1951-1966
In July 1926, Charles Cochrane successfully applied to the Rosewood Shire Council for the use of the reserve in front of C. Bundrock’s (Portion 537) at Tallegalla for coal mining purposes. The reserve was actually a road used only by one person so there were no objections. (Now Cochrane’s Road, Tallegalla) Here Charles opened the Roughrigg Colliery, so named after the mine he worked in back in Scotland.
Snippets about Roughrigg Colliery
Photo at right: Charlie Cochrane and workers.
Smithfield No 1 1940-1942
Smithfield No 2 1943-1953 Ebenezer Messrs T. Purnell & Son
Smithfield No 3 1952-1965 Ebenezer
Snippets about Smithfield Colliery
United No 7 1942-1966 Developed by Gunthorpe and Gill from W. Cowell’s Tunnel and called Glassenbury. (First driven by Cowell in 1931. Coal produced 1933-34 and 1937) Later taken over by United Collieries Pty. Ltd – Mr Arnold Lambert Binnie
United No 8 1944 -1972 It was situated where the Adrian Kratz family farm was at the foot of Evans Hill.
Snippets about United Collieries
Walloon Colliery 1877-1887 Smith and Levinge – Half a mile from the Walloon Railway Station. In 1879 the owners were Scott Smith and A. Meston, M. L. A until July 1880 when they dissolved their partnership. Sold to Messrs. Callaghan and Co., of Brisbane. Messrs. T. and J. Johnson leased it.
In December 1879 they discovered a beautiful, rare and valuable fossil specimen in their mine. Karl Staiger, a well-known analyst and assayer, identified it as Araucaria, a conifer tree from the Jurassic period. It was lying on a fragment of bituminous shale, the interstices filled up with sand and dotted with mica scales, and it was lying as naturally and as perfect as when it was deposited there millions of years ago. They presented it to the Queensland Museum.
Walloon Coal Mine – Report from the “Week” – 1879
Westfalen 1932-1948 Thagoona
Westfalen Colliery Company: August Kathage (senior), Wilhelm Kathage, August Kathage (junior) and Arthur Kathage (Booval); Adolf Carl George Spann (Goodna); Frederick Domrow (Mount Marrow, via Thagoona)
Snippets about Westfalen Colliery
Westvale No 1 1913 Perry’s Knob – Frank Gunthorpe and William Pearn
Westvale No 2 1918-1924 Closed at Perry’s Knob then opened at Lanefield.
Westvale No 3 1924-1930 Lanefield
Westvale No 4 1933-1938 Lanefield
Westvale No 5 1943-1959
Westvale No 6 1941-1953 Lanefield
Westvale No 7 1951- January 1954 Lanefield
Proprietors of Westvale Collieries (1940): Willis Lynn Haenke and Sibyl Maida Dixon
Snippets about Westvale Colliery
Chase at Bottom of Coal Mine 1938 Incident in Mine. Accused Acquitted 1939
New Diesel Loco at Westvale Colliery’s 1951
Queensland Times, 11th July 1945
MINES RESCUE SUB-STATION AT ROSEWOOD.
Following representations from the Queensland Colliery Employees’ Union and the Queensland Mines Rescue Station, the Mines Department has decided to establish a rescue sub-station at Rosewood. Advice to this effect has been received by the Secretary of the Q.C.E.U. (Mr. Jim Donald) from the Minister for Mines (Mr V. C. Gair).
The establishment of a subcentre was mooted early in the year, and the movement received an impetus following the Woodend disaster on February 1. Late in the same month representatives of the Q.C.E.U. District Executive, the Rosewood miners, and the Committee of Management of the Queensland Mines Rescue Station waited on the Minister for Mines and asked that a centre be ealablished at Rosewood, and that the Bundamba station should be modernised.
The Minister for Mines now has advised Mr. Donald: “I desire to inform you that it would appear that the establishment of a rescue sub-station at Rosewood would meet your requirements. It is proposed to make financial provision on the estimates for the financial year 1945-46 for
(a) The establishment of an auxiliary sub-station at Rosewood, where trainees could be accommodated and partly trained, involving the provision of a building and equipment, expenditure in fees and transport for trainees, and purchase of stores.
(b) A new utility truck to facilitate transport, especially in the direction of training at the Rosewood auxiliary centre.
(c) A new service truck for the Ipswich station.
In the meantime reference is being made to the Committee of Management at Ipswich station as to the provision of the building equipment and motor vehicles, as well as the operating cost at Rosewood after that period. At the same time the committee is being asked for its further view on the matter of telephones at coIlieries and for some definite proposal in that regard.”
Queensland Times, 2nd July 1947
Miners Form COMMITTEE FOR AMENITIES AT ROSEWOOD
“The coal miner of today has been lifted from the stage of an underground rat, to such a stage that he is an important person in the world. We are members a of a society and recognised as people who produce the most important national asset of any country,” stated the President of the Queensland Colliery Employees’ Union (Mr. T. M. Millar) at a meeting of Rosewood miners last night. An Area Amenities Committee was formed.
Outlining the function of area amenities committees, Mr. Millar said the industrial committee at each pit would report on amenities to the area committee, and when that was done, each employer would be asked by the executive of the area committee what he intended to do. From the answers received would be determined the action the union would take. He added that reports on amenities also would be submitted to the union office.
Mr. Millar said that when the Coal Industry Act was extended to Queensland, the union would be in a position to give full information on the amenities at all mines.
He urged the miners to realise the importance of the campaign being conducted by the union, because everything asked for would benefit them, their wives, and families. Mr. Millar said the most essential amenity in Rosewood was a water supply. Others suggested were a children’s playground, a swimming pool, a club where the people could read, play billiards, &c. He said the union also felt a hospital was necessary in the district.
PIT AMENITIES
Pit amenities outlined by Mr. Millar included sanitation, both underground and on the surface, ventilation, bath and change rooms on the surface with hot and cold water, the area around the mine to be kept reasonably clean, and a good road to the mine.
The following committee was elected – Messrs. A. Shearer (Westvale), Chairman; E. Edgeworth (Rosewood), Secretary; G. Sleaford (Lanefield No.1), R. Burgess (Rosemount No. 4), M. Moran (Normanton), E. Bell (Caledonian), E. Hodkinson (United No. 8), R. Turner (Lowfield No. 2).
Mr. Millar said that during the war years this union was unable to use its strength to obtain better conditions because of the importance of getting coal to win the war. He added that all Governments had mentioned the fact that once the Fascists were defeated there would be a new order, and the miners considered a change was long overdue in Queensland. “We contend our members did a very good job during the war years,” said Mr. Millar.
He continued that up to date returns from the rank and file had been quite definite in the desire for the necessary improvements, and the State Government should grant the requests in the interests of the miners, also in the interests of the economy of the State.
The speaker said the importance of coal was proved during the last war. Before that very few people realised the importance of the coal industry to the economy of a country. “It is important for us in Queensland to realise we have vast deposits of coal which so far have not been tapped.” continued Mr. Millar. “
“COAL INFERIOR”
Queensland was meeting consumption needs only, he said, because coal was being brought to the metropolitan area from the central district. “Our West Moreton mines are going backwards. The coal is becoming of inferior quality,” said Mr. Millar.
Mr. Millar said it was very important that the best technical brains in the Commonwealth be brought to Queensland to design the mines and to give the best industrial economy to the country. He said there were approximately 22 mines in the Rosewood district with about 450 miners, of which 100 were employed at one mine.
He continued that the Queensland Coal Production Act was a monopoly for owners and must go out of operation if Queensland was to get its share of the Commonwealth grant of £16,000,000. It was the aim of the union to get the best conditions humanly possible in coal mines, and it was of the greatest importance that the Coal Industry Act be extended to Queensland, said Mr. Millar.
The speaker said the union’s claims had the full support of the Trades and Labour Council, and that no stone would be left unturned in efforts to make the campaign a success.
Mr. C. Tucker, Secretary of the union, dealt with approaches to the State Government to have the Coal Industry Act extended to Queensland. He described conditions at the coal mining centres of Mt. Mulligan and Collinsville, and added, “If that is State control, we do not want it.”
This was how coal was loaded at Lanefield Station when coal mines were operating there. Horses were used to pull the small trucks up along rails on the ramp.