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historical archives Coalcliff
100
YEARS
pictorial history of ICC'S Coalcliff
site
Illawarra Coke Company's
(ICC's) site at Coalcliff in the Illawarra region of New South Wales,
Australia have been in continuous operation since the late 1800's.
Coalcliff
Colliery 1878 to 1991
The
working life of the Coalcliff site - where the Cokeworks still operates
today - dates back to January 11, 1878 when the colliery opened. Coal
was shipped out by sea from a man-made jetty as there was no road access.
A proper road was built in 1880 with the coal company's assistance.
Coalcliff Colliery
operated for 114 years from 1878 until its closure in 1991. In 1980 it
was the largest underground coal mine in Australia employing 988 men with
an output in excess of 1.7 million tonnes per annum. Images of Coalcliff
Colliery can be viewed at:
1878-1978
Coalcliff Colliery Adit and Mine
Coalcliff
Cokeworks Construction 1913-1914
Coalcliff
Cokeworks was constructed in 1913 and commissioned in 1914. 50 ovens of
the non-recovery modified `beehive' type formed one battery. The ovens
have an arched roof and are rectangular in shape when looking from above.
The original 50 ovens each had an individual chimney on the top. Images
of the cokeworks construction can be viewed at:
1913-1914
Coalcliff Cokeworks Construction
Coalcliff
Cokeworks 1915-1949
Coalcliff
Cokeworks was directly linked by conveyor belt to a coal bunker at the
adjacent Coalcliff Colliery which supplied the `slack and duff' (small
coal) used in the cokemaking process. Images can be viewed at:
Coalcliff Cokeworks 1915-1949
Coalcliff
Cokeworks 1950's
In 1954 both the Coalcliff
Colliery and Cokeworks were acquired by Kembla Coal and Coke Pty Limited
(KCC) - a subsidiary of The Broken Hill Associated Smelters Pty Limited
(BHAS). BHAS is a jointly owned subsidiary of the Broken Hill mining companies
Conzinc Riotinto of Australia Limited, North Broken Hill Limited and BH
South Limited. Images can be viewed at:
Coalcliff Cokeworks 1950's
Coalcliff
Cokeworks 1960's
In the 1960's eight more ovens were added to the existing battery of 50
ovens. Images can be viewed at:
Coalcliff Cokeworks 1960's
Coalcliff
Cokeworks 1970's
In April 1971 half
of the battery of 58 ovens was converted to common ducting. In 1975 a
new, award winning Quench tower was built (Prince Phillip award for achievement
in industrial design). It was completed in November 1975 plus a new coke
car and road, new quench settling pond, coke hopper and tunnel. Images
can be viewed at:
Coalcliff Cokeworks 1970's
Coalcliff
Cokeworks 1980's
In September 1980 a
new coal grinding and screening plant was constructed. Images can be viewed
at:
Coalcliff
Cokeworks 1980's
Coalcliff
Cokeworks 1990's
Following the closure of Coalcliff Colliery in 1991, all of the Colliery
buildings on the Cokeworks site had been demolished by 1993.
In March 1996 the
present owners, ICC Holdings Pty Limited - a private company - purchased
Illawarra Coke Company Pty Limited (ICC) which operated both Coalcliff
and Corrimal Cokeworks. It became the only independently owned producer
of coke in Australia.
Technological and
environmental improvements have been ongoing since. In 1998 the new owners
of ICC constructed a new crusher and screening plant.
Coalcliff
Cokeworks 1990's
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