Donaldson Coal

Donaldson

Donaldson coal mine was an open cut operation which operated from 2001 to 2013. Progressive rehabilitation activities were undertaken throughout the operation of the mine and a final rehabilitation project was undertaken. Final rehabilitation involved removal of roads,  excavation of contaminated material, decommissioning of the fuel storage area,  buildings and other surface infrastructure, reshaping surfaces to the final landform,  topsoil spreading, drainage line construction and seeding with local tree and shrub species. The rehabilitation works at the mine were completed in March 2014. 

Location

The rehabilitated Donaldson Open Cut Mine area is located approximately 25km from the Port of Newcastle, on a mining lease contained within both Maitland and Cessnock Council areas.

Mining Operation

Coal was extracted by conventional truck and shovel haul back methods in an open cut operation. Soil, overburden and coal were removed, then the mine area progressively backfilled and rehabilitated. Particular attention was paid to minimising coal losses and out-of-seam dilution to maximise the quality of the end product.

Coal Preparation

Raw coal was transported by truck on internal roadways to the established coal washing and loading facilities at Bloomfield Colliery (1.5km away) where it was washed under contract to export specification.

Transportation and Export

Processed coal was transported by rail and exported through the Port of Newcastle.