Denniston Coalmining Historic Area

About

Sitting atop a 600-metre-tall plateau, the Denniston Coalmining Historic Area was the center for the area’s coalmining operations from the late-19th to mid-20th centuries. The inclement weather, which could see constant fog and rain for weeks at the time was just one of the reasons miners hated Denniston. Another reason was the process of sending coal-filled carts down the steep track and bringing empty ones up. The ingenious solution was a series of water breaks to slow down the 12.5 ton gross laden wagons, while a wire attached to an empty cart at the bottom of the hill let gravity pull them up the incline, which has some grades as steep as 80%. After the mine closed in 1967, it’s slowly been reclaimed by bush, but the heritage trusts has preserved some of the machinery and infrastructure, and added informative signs to share the story of the site.