Coalfields Museum & Historical Research Centre

Coalfields Museum & Historical Research Centre We aim to inspire everyone, connect families, and build community. Collie, Western Australia

🏛️ How well do you know Collie's story?⚡ At its peak, coal from Collie was shipped across Western Australia to power sta...
19/05/2026

🏛️ How well do you know Collie's story?

⚡ At its peak, coal from Collie was shipped across Western Australia to power stations at Kwinana, East Perth and Bunbury, keeping the lights on right across the state. But do you know how many people called Collie home at the height of the coal boom?

A) Around 4,000
B) Around 7,500
C) Around 10,000

Drop your answer in the comments before we reveal it later this month! 👇

Collie's coal industry didn't just fuel those distant power stations; it powered a whole community right here. From the mines to the railways that carried coal seams beneath the Collie River Valley keeping Western Australia running for generations.

⚡⚡️💡🔌💡

Want to dig deeper into that story? Step inside the Collie Museum and discover the people, the machines, and the moments that made our town what it is today.

📍 Collie Museum | Open 9am - 3pm daily
🏷️ Tag a local who thinks they know their Collie history!




Coalfields Museum & Historical Research Centre Visit Bunbury Geographe Australian Museums and Galleries Association Western Australia
📷by Les Hunting & Alison M

To some, it’s just rusted iron and old bolts. To many, it’s a bridge to our past. 🌏🤝It will be the best $5 you'll spend ...
17/05/2026

To some, it’s just rusted iron and old bolts. To many, it’s a bridge to our past. 🌏🤝

It will be the best $5 you'll spend on International Museum Day 2026.
Here in Collie, our machinery is what unites us, connecting the stories of the timber cutters, the miners, and the families who have called this valley home for generations.

Every gear and every engine on display represents a person’s hard work and a deep connection to our country.

Join us on May 18th to walk among the giants and keep our local stories alive.
🎟️ Entry: $5 Adults
📍 161 Throssell Street, Collie


Visit Collie Railways of Western Australia Western Australia
pic #1

Our collections showcase many by gone era items.🍳🏺🔪🍽🍳Who remembers the cast-iron meters stove cookware.Maybe in a sheari...
11/05/2026

Our collections showcase many by gone era items.
🍳🏺🔪🍽🍳
Who remembers the cast-iron meters stove cookware.
Maybe in a shearing quarters, boarding house, timber industry or outbush fencing.
And do you know the name of this egg dish ?
🍳🐸🍳



Visit Collie Visit WAnderland

⛏️ Collie's story is bigger than you think.The Collie Museum holds the history of one of WA's most fascinating towns, a ...
29/04/2026

⛏️ Collie's story is bigger than you think.

The Collie Museum holds the history of one of WA's most fascinating towns, a community built on coal, resilience, and real people with remarkable stories.

Don't just drive through. Come in. Explore. Connect with the history beneath your feet.

📍 Collie Museum | Collie, Western Australia

And we have a new book for just $20 - Family Stories, Such a superb capture of the 1900s life. 📚🎊



Australian Museums and Galleries Association Western Australia Australia's South West Visit Collie

What sport had your heart as a kid - footy, cricket, swimming, or just racing your mates down the street, chances are, s...
22/04/2026

What sport had your heart as a kid - footy, cricket, swimming, or just racing your mates down the street, chances are, someone saved a piece of that story.
The Collie Coalfields Museum has a variety in their sports collection full of local jerseys, trophies and photos that'll take you straight back. 🏉🏑⛹️‍♀️🏇
Real people, real memories, right here in our town.

Come on in, have a sticky beak, and tell us in the comments 👇
What sport were you mad about as a kid?

📍 Collie Coalfields Museum, Collie WA
OPEN DAILY
Visit Collie Visit Bunbury Geographe

21/04/2026

Coalfields Museum wishes to advise that the museum will be open 12.00 noon to 3.00pm on ANZAC Day.

Lest we forget.

We would like to thank all our amazing volunteers, for the hours contributed to keeping our doors open 9am - 3pm daily. ...
12/04/2026

We would like to thank all our amazing volunteers, for the hours contributed to keeping our doors open 9am - 3pm daily. 🩵🌸

Are you travelling to Collie River Valley this Easter ?🐰🐰🐰💛We look forward to sharing our Museum with you.We have amazin...
01/04/2026

Are you travelling to Collie River Valley this Easter ?

🐰🐰🐰💛
We look forward to sharing our Museum with you.
We have amazing heritage collections - connecting you, your family and friends 🐰💐🐰💐

⚒️ The Collie Journey ⚒️Ever wondered how our backyard became the powerhouse of WA? From the banks of the Collie River t...
03/03/2026

⚒️ The Collie Journey ⚒️

Ever wondered how our backyard became the powerhouse of WA? From the banks of the Collie River to the world’s biggest batteries, here is a trip down memory lane! 🌳✨

🌿 The Beginning
For over 60,000 years, the Wiilman and Kaneang people cared for this land. In 1829, Dr. Alexander Collie and his group first explored the river that would later bear his name.

🔥 The "Black Rocks" (1880s)
Legend has it shepherd George Marsh used some dark rocks for his campfire... and woke up to find them still burning! That 1880s discovery set our town's destiny in motion.

🚂 A Town is Born (1896 – 1901)

1800s: The Collie Coal Mining District is officially declared.
Collie is gazetted as a town! 🏠
The railway arrives, and the first commercial coal is sent out.

⚡ Powering the State (1920s – Beyond )

1920: Amalgamated Collieries is formed, creating a mining powerhouse.
1931: Our very first coal-fired power station opens.
1950: The first open-cut mine (Western 5 * ) starts a new era of mining.
1966: The mighty Muja Power Station officially opens. Its Noongar Aboriginal spirit tree named Moodja the Orange Christmas tree Nuytsia floribunda.
1994: An emotional year as underground mining officially ends.

🎨 The Transition (2020 – 2029)

2020: The Wellington Dam Mural is finished, putting us on the global tourism map! 🎨
2024: Work starts on the massive Collie Battery (BESS) to power the new grid.
2026: Book Launch
2027 – Future Muja power stations prepare to power down for the last time.

Collie has always been a town of hard work and heart. Whether it’s coal, tourism, or the new green energy, our community remains the strongest part of the story! 💪📈

📍 What’s your family’s Collie story? Did your granddad work the mines? Do you remember the old underground pits? Drop a comment and a photo below! 👇



Visit Collie Visit WAnderland Visit Bunbury Geographe WA Museum Boola Bardip
Rail Heritage WA

📷 by Les and Alison
Note: any wrong information can be confirmed by visiting us here at the Coalfields Museum Collie WA.

Thinking of coming to our book launch? Don’t delay. RSVPs must be received by Tuesday 24th February. Secure your place...
21/02/2026

Thinking of coming to our book launch? Don’t delay. RSVPs must be received by Tuesday 24th February. Secure your place now! Email: [email protected]

Address

161 Throssell Street
Collie, WA
6225

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 3pm
Friday 9am - 3pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm
Sunday 9am - 3pm

Telephone

0897341852

Website

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