Collie, Western Australia

The town is named after the river on which it is situated. James Stirling named the Collie River, which in turn is named after Alexander Collie. He and William Preston were the first Europeans to explore the area, in 1829.{{LandInfo WA|c|C|2011-05-30}}

It has been reported that coal was discovered in the area by a shepherd named George Marsh in the early 1880s.{{Cite news|last=Pancia|first=Anthony|date=11 March 2021|title=Between a black rock and a hard place|work=ABC News|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-11/changing-fossil-fuel-demand-casts-shadow-on-australian-coal-town/13189308|access-date=2 August 2021}} The townsite was surveyed and gazetted in 1897. Coal production began in 1898 when the Brunswick Junction to Narrogin railway line was extended to Collie. {{Cite web |title=Coal · Mining and Energy Western Australia · Exhibitions |url=https://exhibitions.slwa.wa.gov.au/s/mewa/page/coal |access-date=2025-05-20 |publisher=State Library of Western Australia}}{{cite web|url=https://inherit.dplh.wa.gov.au/public/inventory/details/1669e8f2-fb57-4d05-bac6-131cf578fbc0|title=Brunswick Railway Precinct|publisher=State Heritage Office|access-date=20 May 2025}}

Collie was once referred to as a "dirty mining town",[http://portal.water.wa.gov.au/portal/page/portal/DOE_ADMIN/NEWSLETTER_REPOSITORY/Sustainability_Vol9.pdf Sustainability] {{cbignore}} DoE Issue 9. Retrieved 2 November 2006.{{Dead link|date=August 2011}} but on 8 April 2006 it won the Australian Tidy Towns Competition from finalists from six states and the Northern Territory.[http://www.collie.wa.gov.au/council/tidytowndoc 2006 Tidy Town Media Release] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060819124954/http://www.collie.wa.gov.au/council/tidytowndoc |date=19 August 2006 }} www.collie.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 13 August 2006. Collie was named the top Tidy Town because of the commitment of the community to recycling, waste management, beautification and community projects.

According to the 2021 census, there were 7,599 people in Collie.

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 4.8% of the population.
• 81.0% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 3.9% and New Zealand 2.1%.
• 89.0% of people spoke only English at home.
• The most common responses for religion were No Religion 51.5%, Catholic 16.3% and Anglican 12.5%.

Collie has a significant role in the provision of electricity for Western Australia. The state's two coal mines are in{{Failed verification |date=December 2024}} the town,{{cite news |title=Growing WA coal crisis sparks warnings of possible power crunch as summer looms |first=Daniel |last=Mercer |date=2022-09-17 |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |url= https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-09-17/power-supply-fears-as-wa-runs-out-of-coal/101449628 |access-date=2022-09-17 |quote=A long-running saga involving Griffin Coal, one of WA's two coal mines, this week took a critical turn after the operation was tipped into receivership by its Indian bankers. }} and there are the three coal-fired power stations (Muja due to close by 2029, Collie due to close by 2027, and Bluewaters written off in 2020 by owners as zero valued). The Government of Western Australia will soon{{when|date=February 2020}} commission {{vague |date=December 2024 |reason=What kind of new power station, and which proposals? |text=a new base load power station, for which a number of Collie base proposals have been made including nuclear.}}{{cite news |title=Peter Dutton reveals seven sites for proposed nuclear power plants |first1=Tom |last1=Crowley |first2=Jane |last2=Norman |date=2024-06-19 |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-19/dutton-reveals-seven-sites-for-proposed-nuclear-power-plants/103995310 |access-date=2024-12-25 }}{{Failed verification |reason=Source found says federal not state, and if elected not current. |date=December 2024}}

In 2014 Western Collieries, the Premier Coal mining operation, reported a production capacity of {{convert|5|e6t|e9lb|abbr=off}} of coal per year for 30 years.{{cite web |title=Why Premier Coal |website=Premier Coal |url=http://www.premiercoal.com.au/Operations/WhyPremierCoal.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911001912/http://www.premiercoal.com.au/Operations/WhyPremierCoal.aspx |archive-date=2014-09-11 |access-date=2024-12-26 }} The Griffin Coal mine is owned by the Indian company Lanco Infratech.{{cite web|url=http://www.griffincoal.com.au/about-us/our-history/|title=Our History|publisher=Griffin Coal|access-date=21 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141229072451/http://www.griffincoal.com.au/about-us/our-history/|archive-date=29 December 2014|url-status=dead}}

Collie has five primary schools (Allanson Primary School, Fairview Primary School, Amaroo Primary School,{{Cite web |title=School Overview Amaroo Primary School|url=https://www.det.wa.edu.au/schoolsonline/overview.do?schoolID=5008|access-date=2024-12-25 |publisher=Department of Education}} Saint Brigid's Catholic College{{Cite web |title=St Brigid's School, Collie {{!}} Together in Christ |url=https://www.stbrigidscollie.wa.edu.au/ |access-date=2024-12-25 |language=en-US}} and Wilson Park Primary School) and one high school, Collie Senior High School.

Tourist attractions at Collie include the Steam Locomotive Museum, Collie Art Gallery, Minninup Pool and Wellington Dam. Parks include Soldier's Memorial Park and natural features include the Collie River. Stockton Lake, Lake Kepwari, Harris River Dam and Wellington Dam are man-made reservoirs and lakes available for leisure and recreation. Sporting facilities include the Roche Park Recreation Centre,{{Cite web|title=Roche Park Recreation Centre {{!}} Shire of Collie|url=https://www.collie.wa.gov.au/community/sport-recreation/|access-date=2021-03-25|website=www.collie.wa.gov.au}} Collie Hockey Grounds and the Collie Eagles Oval.

Collie also hosts the Collie Motorplex, one of Western Australia's few permanent motorsport venues outside the Perth metropolitan area.

The Coalfields Museum and Historical Research Centre{{Cite web|title=Coalfields Museum & Historical Research Centre|url=https://www.collierivervalley.com.au/local-listings/coalfields-museum-historical-research-centre/|access-date=2021-03-25|website=Collie River Valley|language=en-AU}} provides a glimpse of the history and development of the mining town of Collie.

Collie experiences a Mediterranean climate with warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters (Köppen climate classification Csb).

The town was lashed with unseasonal storms on 12 December 2012 resulting in some flooding in the town. The town received {{convert|126|mm|in|0}} of rain in a 12-hour period; several houses were evacuated.{{cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-12/thunderstorm-and-rain-to-lash-perth/4424374|title=Houses flooded as storm lashes Collie|date=13 December 2012|access-date=13 December 2012|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|first1=Lucy|last1=Martin|first2=Roxanne|last2=Taylor|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031014150/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-12/thunderstorm-and-rain-to-lash-perth/4424374|archive-date=31 October 2016|work=ABC News|location=Australia|url-status=live}}

{{Weather box

|location = Collie East (2002–2024 averages and extremes)

|metric first = Yes

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high C = 42.3

|Feb record high C = 42.4

|Mar record high C = 40.0

|Apr record high C = 36.4

|May record high C = 28.7

|Jun record high C = 24.5

|Jul record high C = 22.4

|Aug record high C = 27.2

|Sep record high C = 30.6

|Oct record high C = 33.7

|Nov record high C = 38.4

|Dec record high C = 40.7

|year record high C = 42.4

|Jan high C = 31.1

|Feb high C = 30.8

|Mar high C = 28.2

|Apr high C = 23.9

|May high C = 20.2

|Jun high C = 17.3

|Jul high C = 16.4

|Aug high C = 17.2

|Sep high C = 18.7

|Oct high C = 21.8

|Nov high C = 25.5

|Dec high C = 29.0

|year high C = 23.3

|Jan low C = 13.5

|Feb low C = 14.0

|Mar low C = 12.3

|Apr low C = 8.9

|May low C = 6.1

|Jun low C = 4.5

|Jul low C = 4.3

|Aug low C = 4.8

|Sep low C = 5.7

|Oct low C = 7.5

|Nov low C = 9.9

|Dec low C = 11.7

|year low C = 8.6

|Jan record low C = 2.8

|Feb record low C = 4.2

|Mar record low C = 1.0

|Apr record low C = 0.4

|May record low C = -3.1

|Jun record low C = -6.0

|Jul record low C = -4.0

|Aug record low C = -2.7

|Sep record low C = -2.7

|Oct record low C = -0.7

|Nov record low C = -0.4

|Dec record low C = 2.6

|year record low C = -6.0

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 15.9

|Feb precipitation mm = 11.1

|Mar precipitation mm = 18.4

|Apr precipitation mm = 39.7

|May precipitation mm = 92.1

|Jun precipitation mm = 97.7

|Jul precipitation mm = 134.0

|Aug precipitation mm = 116.0

|Sep precipitation mm = 86.1

|Oct precipitation mm = 39.7

|Nov precipitation mm = 24.3

|Dec precipitation mm = 17.5

|year precipitation mm = 686.0

|unit rain days = 0.2mm

|Jan rain days = 2.8

|Feb rain days = 3.5

|Mar rain days = 4.8

|Apr rain days = 8.9

|May rain days = 12.9

|Jun rain days = 15.0

|Jul rain days = 20.2

|Aug rain days = 18.6

|Sep rain days = 15.5

|Oct rain days = 11.3

|Nov rain days = 6.9

|Dec rain days = 4.9

|year rain days = 125.3

|source 1 ={{cite web

| url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_009994_All.shtml | title = Climate statistics for Collie East | publisher=Australian Government | author = Bureau of Meteorology | access-date = 18 March 2025}}

|date = March 2025

}}

Collie Speedway is a motorcycle speedway venue on the eastern edge of Collie, on Clifford Street.{{cite web|url=http://www.colliespeedway.com.au/ |title=Welcome to Collie Speedway |website=Collie Speedway |access-date=13 February 2024}} The venue, which opened in 1971 has hosted important motorcycle speedway events, including qualifying rounds of the Speedway World Championship (starting in 1992){{cite web |url=https://dlprezes.pl.tl/SPEEDWAY--_--Indywidualne-mistrzostwa-%26%23346%3Bwiata-----------k1-World-Speedway-Championship-k2-.htm |title=World Championship |website=Metal Speedway |access-date=13 February 2024}}{{cite web |url=http://www.speedway.org/history/ |title=World Championship | website=Speedway.org |access-date=13 February 2024}} and the final of the Western Australian Individual Speedway Championship on two occasions.{{cite web |url=http://speedwaychampions.com/AustralianChampions.aspx |title=Honor Roll since 1927/28 |website=Speedway Champions |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706204745/http://speedwaychampions.com/AustralianChampions.aspx |access-date=2 August 2023|archive-date=6 July 2011 }}

{{gallery

|align=centre

|Image:Muja Power Station.jpg

|alt1=Four chimneys, two emitting strong black smoke, from industrial building with Western Power logo above text "Wester Power Muja Power Station", seen through wire fence across parking aisle.

|Muja Power Station, situated {{convert|15|km}} south-east of Collie beyond Cardiff

|Image:Collie Railway Station WA SMC.JPG

|Collie railway station

|Image:Collie WA SMC main street2.JPG

|The main street of Collie

}}

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{{Towns South West WA}}

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Category:Towns in Western Australia

Category:Mining towns in Western Australia

Category:Coal mining in Western Australia

Category:Shire of Collie