Collie is located 57 kilometres east of Bunbury and 37 kilometres east of Brunswick Junction. The town is one of the major suppliers of energy in the State as the coal fired power stations will attest to. The timber industry is also prevalent in the area.

The first settler in the area is unknown but at least four pastoralists pastured livestock in the Collie area during the 1880s. These were Gibbs, Pollard, Rose and Perrin. A farmhand employed by Rose described the early area:

"I often drove cattle singlehanded from Roelands, travelling over what are now the streets of Collie.......Even in 1890 there was nothing "here" but bush".

Coal was first thought to have been discovered in the early 1880s, by the Collie River. Perrin, one of the landowners in the area kept the secret of the coal deposit for seven years when he divulged his information to his brother John who immediately collaborated with a Mr Hay. However this union was less than harmonious as Hay began prospecting with another partner and thus excluded Perrin from the deal.

Between 1889 and 1891 Hay and his partners carried out extensive prospecting in the area. In 1890 a local company, Collie Commercial Coalmining Company was formed with the aim of prospecting an area which would be productive enough to make a profit if sold to interested eastern state companies. The Government employed Dr Robertson to supervise prospecting activity in the area.

The coal retrieved from eighteen hand drilled holes was tested by the Railways Department who would be the main consumer of any such coal from Collie. In 1894 following these tests it was then compared to Newcastle coal. In 1896 the Government announced the opening of a further 102,000 acres of land on the coalfields. The following year would see the arrival of a stream of miners hoping for employment on the Collie fields.

Mr Davey Jones who had arrived to Collie in 1892 was noted as being the first permanent settler on the Collie coalfield area. The railway work started in 1897, a year after the final decision had been made to provide the area with a much needed transport link. The route ran 26 miles to Brunswick Junction and was opened on July 1 1898. The station "Coalville" was opened just over a year later.

Collie was proclaimed in December 1897 and was originally called Colliefields before adopting it's present day name in 1899. The railway also helped to boost the timber industry in the area which had been prevalent in the region. The first Stationmaster was Mr Jim Telfer.

The town now began to blossom from a small settlement into a vibrant and bustling community. The first civic meeting, albeit a very casual affair was held in 1897. The same year saw the formation of a Coalfield Health Board and a Hospital Committee two years later, with plans to build a hospital in the area. In 1901 a small cottage hospital was established. The first police officer arrived to Collie in 1899. The same year the very first public school opened in Collie, teaching 20 students initially. Within a year 60 students were under the diligent care of Mr Jack Blain.

The commercial activity in the town was highlighted by the strong hotel trade. Between 1898 and 1902 seven hotels were established. A general store, a bakery, butcher and a dairy were in operation. The Co Op began in a "big cowshed" where 24 cows were milked daily. Specific days were established as market days where anyone could come along and sell their wares.

By 1920 only two of the operating mining companies in Collie had shown a profit; the Proprietary Mine and the Co Operative Company. Management incompetence and the inability of the small capacity pumps to deal with the large amounts of water in the mines were two of the factors involved in this statistic. The unsuccessful Cardiff and Scottish Collieries decided to amalgamate into the Amalgamated Collieries of Western Australia, floated with a capital of 250,000 pounds. Soon the other Collieries had joined the fold of the company.

During the early 1920s a variety of improvements were made to many of the shopfronts with many of the weatherboard structures replaced by permanent brick structures. In 1924 it was decided to replace the small weatherboard cottage hospital with a new more modern hospital. The Amusu Theatre was established in 1925 to cater for social events such as concerts, films and dances. By 1926 three different agencies were advertising motorcars in Collie - a sign of the prosperous times the town was experiencing.

The Griffin Syndicate was established in 1921 in an effort to compete against the strength of the Amalgamated Collieries. The company began production in 1929, although slow at first due to the incompletion of the railway sidings and the rail bridge over the Collie River. By September 1932 the Griffin Syndicate had not only survived but was to become a major influence in the Collie coal industry.

During the 1930s the Depression was felt throughout Australia with Collie's timber and mining industries feeling the pinch. Coal production fell from 544,720 in 1929 to 415,720 tons by 1932. This decline was accompanied by a 32% drop in employment in the mines sector. Two years later the mines experienced a slight improvement, the coal industry responding more quickly than most other industries. Agricultural activity became more pronounced during this decade with the formation of a Primary Producer's Association branch.

Collie experienced a building boom in the years proceeding the Second World War. Mine employment reached 1500 in accordance with the demand for coal. From 1947 to 1954 no less than 667 buildings were constructed in Collie at a cost of 1,145,165 pounds. As the demand for labour increased the town was inundated with a stream of European migrants from Italy, Hungary and Yugoslavia as well as other European nations.

The first proposals for a power station in Collie were voiced as far back as 1928 and in 1938 the Collie National Coal and Power Scheme Committee were successful in their efforts to gain Government recognition. A feasibility study was carried out but for various reasons the Government's interest soon waned and the matter was forgotten for the time being. Meanwhile the Amalgamated Collieries established a private power station, commissioned in 1930 the station produced a 40 Hertz alternating current. In October 1946 the Electrical Advisory Commission acquired the Collie Power Station and installed three new turbines and established transmission lines to Yarloop, Brunswick Junction, Bunbury, Picton, Boyanup and Waroona. The official opening took place on August 24 1951.

The closure of the Amalgamated Collieries Ltd in 1960 was a shock to the Collie townsfolk and it would not be until the 1970s that the town would experience a demand for coal, sparked by the an oil crisis. By 1976 two million tonnes of coal were being produced to power production. The Collie coal was an ideal coal for stationary boiler systems. The mineral sands industry also found use for the coal. The 70s saw the return to prominence of the railways as demand for coal meant the line to Bunbury and Perth which had been almost obsolete was repaired and upgraded.

The arrival of establishments such as the Commonwealth Bank, Coles New World, Jones Arcade, R&I Bank Building and the Collie Motel, the replacement of the old Municipal building with a Civic Centre and the demolition of many of the old shop fronts and run down buildings meant that Collie had finally arrived as a major town in the south west.


Historic Attractions

The Historical and Mining Museum on Throsell street houses collections of memorabilia from the early pioneer days of Collie.

The Steam Locomotive Museum is home to the old steam locomotives that were among the last engines to use coal as a source of power in Western Australia.

The Tourist Coal Mine is a replica of an underground coal mine and visitors can take a guided 40 minute tour and learn about the workings of the mine and lives of the people whose livelihood this was.

All Saints Anglican Church was opened in 1915 and can be inspected by prior arrangement with the Tourist Bureau.

Natural Attractions

The Collie River Scenic Drive incorporates timber covered slopes and the various moods of the Collie River from meandering and placid to cascading rapids. The Wellington Dam can be reached by embarking on a picturesque drive through forested valleys until the majestic Dam is reached. A picnic area and associated walking trails with various lookouts are situated in a cliff area below the Dam site.

Other Attractions

Tours of the Muja Power Station can be embarked on by booking at the Collie Tourist Bureau on either Tuesday or Thursday each week.

The daily operations of the Muja Open Cut Coal Mine can be viewed from a special lookout platform, 21 kilometres east of Collie. This mine is the largest open cut mine in the southern hemisphere.

A collection of local art and craft is on sale at the Craft Gallery in the Tourist Bureau building.

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