At the end of the winter break, four committee members joined the AusIMM UWA Student Chapter on a trip to explore the coalfields in Wollongong. All 10 WA representatives shared experiences in various forms of underground hard rock and open pit metal mining and were thus eager to learn more about how our national power grid is fuelled. After landing and attending a Barminco industry night at UNSW with the AusIMM Sydney Student Chapter, the education started at the Southern Mines Rescue Station. Far more advanced than anything we had seen in the west, the station is a true ‘on-call’ facility capable of rapid rescue response to any callout within its operating area. During our engaging tour, we witnessed teams completing their annual ‘refresher’ course in the mock underground mine and smoke simulator. The following day saw the group venture to Port Kembla to BlueScope, Australia's largest manufacturer and supplier of flat steel. The remarkable tour allowed students to witness the steel-making process from the beginning to the final rolled steel product. It was indeed an incredible sight. The day finished with the team at Green Gravity Lab, a startup company with the technology to repurpose non-operational mine shafts for green energy storage and creation. The final day was much anticipated. Peabody Energy granted the WASM crew underground access to their Metropolitan asset. After all safety inductions, we went down the shaft and into the ‘drifter’. Longwall mining is a foreign concept to most in WA, and the expression of awe across everyone’s faces clearly showed how amazing a learning experience it was. Of course, this trip wouldn’t have happened without Zack Oswald and Thomas Jackson from the AusIMM Illawarra Student Chapter and the Illawarra coal industry’s desire to educate people. You’ve tempted us all with a move to coal, alas, it’s time the Illawarra SC ventures West to see the shiny stuff!
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