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Coal Mining PioneersPrint Page 
The sculpture commemorates the coal mining pioneers who in 1873 started the venture which led to the formulation of Charlestown in 1876.
The sculpture is a rough cast bronze high relief sculptural profile of a realistic modern coal miner at the coal face, fixed to the face of a sandstone block. A bronze plaque is fixed to the relief. The sculpture is backed by a large spoked wheel, a relic of the Waratah Colliery which was situated in Raspberry Gully from 1873 to 1961.
The Waratah Coal Company was formed in 1862 to mine in the Waratah district. It bought another 2,600 acres to the south and began sinking a shaft in Raspberry Gully in 1873. The mine was opened the same year, coal being taken along the "Gully Line" to Waratah. The mine did well at first but conditions were very competitive during the latter part of the 19th century. It was closed in 1961 and demolished in 1969.
Location
| Address: | Pacific Highway, Charlestown Park, Charlestown, 2290 |
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| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -32.967594 Long: 151.694567 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Sculpture |
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| Monument Theme: | Technology |
| Sub-Theme: | Industry |
| Artist: | Peter Boyd |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Saturday 10th February, 1973 |
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Dedicated to the coal mining pioneers who in the year 1873 started the first mining venture which led to the formation of Charleston in 1876.
The poppet head wheel was salvaged from the last remains of the Waratah Colliery which was situated in Raspberry Gully from 1873 to 1961.
