Mining Responsibly
Smarter Mining
Low Emissions Future
Close

Mining Responsibly

There are teams of experts all over NSW restoring the land that is used productively for mining.

Including environmental scientists, water experts, farmers, engineers, drone pilots and more. 

And it’s happening all the time. 

We operate under strict environmental laws, including regulation of mined land rehabilitation. Before a mine starts operating, we make commitments on how the land will be restored for the future.

Like creating native bushland, renewable energy projects, productive farmland for cattle grazing. And one site is even being turned into a motorsport park near Newcastle.

In the Hunter Valley alone, 35 percent of the land used for mining is already under rehabilitation (source: Upper Hunter Mining Dialogue).

Werris Creek Mine Restoration

At Werris Creek mine near Tamworth, Whitehaven Coal is
establishing an open box gum woodland providing land for grazing, woodland vegetation and native habitats.

By using standing these special ‘stag’ trees, the rehabilitated land provides an instant habitat for local birds, bats and marsupials.

Coupled with native groundcover and planting native canopy
seedlings, this approach means the open box gum woodland is
constantly developing and progressing towards an established and mature ecosystem for the future.

Read More

Westside mine now native bushland

Just south of Newcastle, Glencore's Westside open-cut coal mining site finished mining in 2012 and has been rehabilitated for native bushland. In 2020, 38 hectares - more than 60 football fields - were signed off by the NSW Government for achieving all of the rehabilitation and closure criteria.

Monitoring there showed natural ecosystem functions were returning with 69 native fauna species seen in the rehabilitation, including 11 threatened species.

Read more

From Mining land to grazing land

Hunter Valley Operations near Singleton is one of the largest and most productive mines in NSW.

It’s also home to around 2,000 head of cattle on around 6,000 hectares of the mine’s land that’s used for dairy, cattle grazing or pasture. The mine licenses its restored mining land to seven local farmers, including more than 860 hectares to Peter Nichols. That’s about 600 football stadiums.

Working together, they recently conducted a trial with the NSW Department of Agriculture, comparing cattle on rehabilitated mining land to neighbouring non - mined land.

The results were very good, with cattle on the land that had been mined and restored putting on more weight compared to the non - mined land.

Read More

Land restored after mining near Lithgow

Safe, stable, and self-sustaining native woodlands have been established after open cut coal mining near Lithgow, west of Sydney. The NSW Government has signed off extensive rehabilitation of 102 hectares of mined land confirming that the rehabilitation is complete in accordance with NSW regulation. Established in 1983, the mine was closed in 2011 and closure works and rehabilitation were finished in 2022.

Read more

Mining land restored for motorsport park

A motorsport park is being developed in Lake Macquarie near Newcastle on land used for coal mining since 1900. The former Rhondda Colliery helped to power the nation with coal for energy and finished operating in 1971. The site has been rehabilitated and relinquished by mining company Yancoal. And now a $95 million project to include a world-class 5.25 kilometre driving circuit, a driver training centre, go-kart racing and some accommodation has been approved for the site and is under construction.

Read more

Follow Us

SITE BY

About Us

This website is developed and proudly shared by the NSW Minerals Council. We champion innovation and leading practice for a safer, smarter and more innovative mining sector in NSW. And as the peak industry body we promote the important role mining plays in society, the good things mining brings to NSW and the contribution of our members and mining families in communities across the state. Find out more at nswmining.com.au.