Tongarra Mine

In the 1870s coal seams existed at Tongarra.  In 1893 William Brownlee started mining a coal seam on his property.  The Albion Park butter factory had opened in Calderwood Road and in 1894 and William sold his coal to the creamery for their machinery operations.

William came from Ireland as a settler and farmer. In the late 1850s he purchased 236 acres in the foothills of the escarpment and base of Macquarie Pass. He married Elizabeth Collins in the early 1860s and they had five children; John, Mary, James, Peter and Jane. William built a cottage of local sandstone for the family which still stands on the property today.

By 1893 William had excavated a horizontal tunnel 800 feet above sea level. The tunnel had cut into a seam of the purest and best gas coal which was 22 feet thick. There were another two seams above this; one at 14.5 feet and 4.5 feet respectively. The coal at Tongarra was regarded as being of the best quality and was put on par with Newcastle.

In 1893 when William opened the mine there was every prospect that Lake Illawarra would be developed into a major port to export coal from a mine at Dapto.

William died in 1931. Further development was made to the mine in the early years by Percy Owen, and later Dawson, Gilchrist and De Latorre.

Excellsior Colleries of Thirroul took over mine operations in 1943 and in the 1940s Yuill and Company, under the management of Murray Brownlee. In 1950 William Brownlee’s son, Francis became the manager of the mine on his fathers old property, and at this time the entire mine was operated by Excellsior.

Tongarra Mine was closed in January 1965. Over the years the mine provided steady employment for the men of Albion Park and the surrounding districts.

 

William Brownlee at the entrance to Tongarra Mine c.1900
Shellharbour Images Shellharbour City Libraries.

Tongarra Mine workers c.1950
Shellharbour Images Shellharbour City Libraries.