AUSTRALIA'S 'COAL CAPITAL'

AUSTRALIAN MINING LOOKS AT SOME OF THE MOST WELL-KNOWN COAL MINES IN THE BOWEN BASIN REGION.

Mining and the Bowen Basin have gone hand-in-hand since 1845, when German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt first discovered coal in the area.

By the 1960s, large-scale exploration in the Bowen Basin had begun in earnest, paving the way for the region's eventual fame as the "coal capital" of Australia.

Now, this iconic region in central Queensland is home to over 40 active coal mines and is showing no signs of slowing down.

BMA

Perhaps the most well-known name in the Bowen Basin is the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA).

This major miner is Australia's largest producer and supplier of seaborne metallurgical coal and operates five Bowen Basin mines: Goonyella Riverside, Broadmeadow, Peak Downs, Saraji, and Caval Ridge.

The Peak Downs mine is particularly famous in the region as one Australia's biggest coal mines by recoverable coal reserves. In 2023 alone, the mine produced around 29 million tonnes (Mt) of metallurgical coal.

BMA also owns the Hay Point Coal Terminal, capable of handling more than 55Mt of coal for export every year.

But it's not just the Bowen Basin's coal mines that BMA is invested in. In November 2023, the company set up its Bowen Basin Bright Minds program to ensure the students of today are fit for the jobs of tomorrow.