Achievements of Collie's Just Transition

Collie’s Coolangatta Industrial Estate, located only minutes from the town’s centre, will receive essential infrastructure upgrades to power and transport servicing. The upgrades, a $134 million investment from the Collie Industrial Transition Fund, will support the activation of industrial land to help secure job-creating industries in Collie, and deliver safer roads for the community and future workers to access the area.

The Coolangatta Industrial Estate is a strategic location for businesses looking to establish in the region, with the Estate already home to new major industries including WesTrac Technology Training Centre and Synergy’s Collie Energy Storage System.

The first containerised units of the Collie Battery Energy Storage System (CBESS) are now in place.

Expected to be constructed and switched on in 2025, the CBESS will be Synergy’s third Battery Energy Storage System in Western Australia and one of the biggest in the world.

The battery will provide 500 Megawatts (MW) of power with 2000 Megawatt (MWh) hours of storage when connected to the grid through the South West Interconnected System (SWIS), with the ability to power 785,000 average homes for four hours.

Learn more about what the Collie battery project could mean for Collie’s economic future by tuning in to the Collie Just Transition Podcast, where a dedicated discussion touches on all you need to know.

Since 2020, Collie has been home to an advanced skills training centre which is the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere. WesTrac Technology Training Centre, only the second in the world focusing on training people in the technical skills of operating autonomous equipment for use in the resources sector, will launch its Stage 2 expansion in late 2024.

The training offers opportunities for Collie workers looking to upskill, as well as providing flow-on benefits for the local economy as interstate or international students come to stay in town for the duration of their training.

The upgraded Training Centre will include a new remote dozer training area, and expanded facilities including an additional five new training rooms, a virtual reality room, and a Remote Operating Station room.

The facility, located in the Coolangatta Industrial Estate and supported by a combined $3 million from the WA Government, attracts technicians from resource companies from around the world with global demand for the training continuing to rise.

The new facility in Collie’s Light Industrial Area will increase production of its DMI65® water filtration media, designed to remove heavy metals from industrial water, and cater for a strong and growing global demand.

In 2020, Quantum Filtration Medium was supported by $100,000 from the Collie Futures Small Grant to help establish an initial research and development laboratory in town. In 2023, an additional $2 million was allocated to help build the new manufacturing plant to boost production of its in-demand water treatment systems and export it direct from Collie to locations across the globe.

One of Collie’s accommodation providers is celebrating its new resort status following a raft of enhancement upgrades, to cater for growing demand and increased tourism numbers in town.

Collie Ridge Resort, previously known as Collie Ridge Motel, has expanded from 53 rooms to 134 rooms following almost $590,000 in grant support. The upgrades have also enabled refurbishments to the restaurant and function rooms, and included a new wellness centre, gym, rooftop function area, swimming pool and children's playground.

The town has experienced significant growth in tourism following the addition of unique experiences and attractions, including the Wellington Dam mural and walkway, adventure trails, mountain bike trails, and the new campgrounds and facilities at Lake Kepwari. 

The Collie Adventure Trails have established the region as a must-visit adventure destination, with recent milestones making Collie home to WA’s largest network of mountain bike trails.

With the third and final stage now officially open, the Collie Adventure Trails have attracted local, national, and international mountain bike and bushwalking tourists to town. The trails have become one of the centrepieces of Collie’s tourism offerings, and further boosts Collie’s growing reputation as a premier adventure destination in WA.

Mountain bike enthusiasts now have almost 100 kilometres of national park trails to explore in Collie's Wambenger Trails network, which links Wellington Dam, Honeymoon Pool, Mount Lennard and the spectacular Collie River Valley. The newly completed trails cater for experienced and competition riders, complementing the previously completed beginner trails near Wellington Dam.

In total, the Wambenger Trails network now totals nearly 175km of mountain bike trails and more than 110km of hiking trails.

The Wambenger trails network showcases Collie’s natural landscapes and cultural heritage, and will continue to offer significant economic contributions to the Collie’s economy as it works to diversify away from a dependence on coal.

Visit TrailsWA  or download the Wambenger Trails mobile app for more information.

In a Just Transition-first for Collie, the community came together to celebrate the town’s transformation and explore its future. The 2024 Collie Industry Transition Expo gave community members the opportunity to meet face-to-face with new industries that have been secured, as well as others that are in the pipeline.

In April 2024, stalls of Collie’s new industries showcased the progress of their projects, their vision, and how they are working to contribute to Collie’s evolving transition journey. The event offered the community the first chance to engage directly with new industries seeking to establish in the town, as it continues to diversify its economy and move away from coal.

With the event attracting significant local attendance, new industry representatives were asked about project details, expected jobs, and recruitment timelines, allowing Collie locals to discover the future opportunities that might be suitable for them and their families. 

The event, led by the Just Transition Working Group, successfully recognised the strides the town of Collie has made for its future, but also raised awareness of the opportunities and resources available for those impacted by the transition.

$6.5 million in new funding has been confirmed to support the next phase of International Graphite’s (IG) plans for a commercial-scale graphite processing facility in Collie.

$4.5 million of this new funding will support the development of a commercial-scale graphite micronising plant, enabling local production capacity to be boosted to 4000 tonnes per annum and creating another 20 full-time permanent jobs in Collie.

The new funding follows the February 2024 commissioning of IG’s qualification-scale graphite micronising plant, which has capacity to produce 200 tonnes per annum and was supported by a separate grant from the State Government in 2021.

$2 million of the new funding will support IG to move forward with a feasibility study into establishing a purpose-built battery anode material (BAM) facility in Collie. The facility offers potential downstream processing opportunities and the possibility of WA being home to the first fully integrated battery anode graphite processing company. This could create a long-term pipeline of industrial jobs for Collie and secure the town's place in WA's shift to becoming a global clean energy powerhouse.

Read more about International Graphite’s journey to establishing in Collie here. 

Since Collie’s Just Transition has begun, the WA Government has committed over $40 million to support tourism initiatives and infrastructure in the region, contributing to visitor numbers in Collie increasing by over 73%.

With several tourism projects including the iconic Wellington Dam mural and adventure trails continuing to receive significant interest, it is expected these numbers will continue to rise, which means Collie is facing high demand for new accommodation, and food and beverage offerings.

The Collie Tourism Prospectus showcases the opportunities available now and into the future, and invites tourism operators to learn more about how they can become part of Collie’s tourism evolution.

Read more about the new Collie Tourism Prospectus here. 

New job opportunities continue to be created for Collie, with eight new positions at the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety's (DEMIRS) Collie Licensing Hub. This brings the total number of jobs at the hub to nineteen.

The eight new jobs will streamline services to meet WA’s growing demand for occupational licences and workers in the building industries. With responsibility for processing licence applications from across the State, the new staff will provide additional support for electricians, gas fitters, plumbers and a range of dangerous goods workers.

The WA Government committed $300,000 to establish the DEMIRS Licensing centre in Collie in 2020, and is part of the State’s plan for the local region's future prosperity.

The WA Government has committed $100,000 to Murdoch University which will support the demonstration a low carbon product called Colliecrete at the Bunbury Outer Ring Road.
The demonstration project follows an investigation into the feasibility of using coal power station ash waste, industrial by-products and waste materials as ingredients in geopolymer concrete.

A $18 million pilot plant is currently under construction in Collie, to produce high-purity magnesium metal in Collie's Light Industrial Area.

The pilot plant - supported by a $5 million grant from the WA Government – will enable commercial scale testing of the CSIRO-developed technology and offer transitioning workers a rare opportunity to gain exposure to next-generation technologies and skills.

Subject to the completion of the detailed feasibility study, supported by an additional $2 million, the full-scale magnesium refinery is planned to commence operations in Collie in the coming years.

A pre-feasibility study – supported with $280,000 of co-funding – highlighted Collie as an ideal location for the project.
 

The sustainably operated steel mill would see WA scrap steel to produce green steel reinforcing bars for wide-scale consumption and export. Powered by renewable energy, the plant is set to be Australia’s most efficient and environmentally friendly steel mill.

The WA Government will provide $2.7 million to support Green Steel to move ahead with the bankable feasibility study to determine the best way forward in bringing Collie’s steel mill to life. 

The new Wellington Dam walkway across the 367m dam wall provides walkers a sensational fresh angle of Guido van Helten's iconic artwork 'Reflections', while allowing access to complete the five-day, fournight 87 kilometre Wiilman Bilya Trail that starts and finishes in Collie, circling Wellington Dam.

It forms part of the Reflections Trail, which when finished will include new boardwalks and lookout points for wheelchairs and prams, providing access to experience the sweeping views from the top of the dam down the Collie River Valley.

The walkway is part of the $10 million Collie Adventure Trails initiative, which was developed to help establish the town as a premier trail and adventure destination and create new local jobs as Collie continues its transition to a sustainable future.

Learn more at the Explore Parks WA website.

The team offers services and advice on building resumes, upskilling, retraining for new careers, and more The centrewill also be home to South Regional TAFE’s Training Transition Team, who will provide free skills assessments and training plans for local workers that will be directly impacted in the coming years. Local businesses can also find specialist support for their training needs, address skills gaps and identify training solutions, and work with the centre to help recognise future opportunities to upskill workers.

Collie Jobs and Skills Centre Manager Natalie Cook unpacked all the opportunities for Collie as part of the opening in an episode of the Collie Just Transition Podcast. For more information or to contact the Collie Jobs and Skills Centre, visit the website. 
The opening of the centre is part of the wider WA Government’s initiative to help provide opportunities for workers and the community in Collie and ensure there continues to be well-paid, local, jobs in the region. Jobs and Skills Centre expansion was supported by $12 million from the WA Government, followed by an additional $6.3 million to secure the centre a dedicated offsite training facility in Collie.

Formerly an open-cut coalmine, Lake Kepwari boasts a dual lane boat ramp, designated parking for boat trailers, and sealed accessible pathways throughout the site, transforming the picturesque destination into a water-based tourism hub perfect for boating, waterskiing, swimming, camping, and picnicking.

The new facilities at Lake Kepwari are part of the larger $23.3 million investment in infrastructure for parks and forests in the Collie region.

The new facilities at Lake Kepwari will help drive tourism to the region, and complement other tourism offerings including the mega mural at Wellington Dam, and mountain bike, walk trails and drive trails through the Collie River Valley and Ferguson Valley.

Learn more about the camping facilities by visiting the Explore Parks WA website.

A celebration of the rich history that inspired the mural art in the town of Collie.

Collie and the local historical characters that have inspired artworks featured across the town’s iconic Mural Trail have been celebrated in this short documentary-style film.

Inspired by the creative journey of the artworks completed by the artists Jacob ‘Shakey’ Butler and Donald Cook, the film, produced by Western Australia’s own Why Stories, shines the light on the characters depicted in the murals, and the richness of Collie’s industrial history.

To learn more about the Collie Mural Trail, colliemuraltrail.com.

Collie’s iconic Replica Underground Coal Mine experience has undergone a revamp to cater for the growing number of tourists, as the town emerges as an attractive tourist destination.

The upgrade allows visitors to fully immerse themselves in what could be described as some of WA’s most dangerous and historic working conditions and learn about Collie's story in a new way.

The heritage experience, which combines modern multimedia projections with traditional museum displays, allows visitors to witness a life-like underground mine blast experienced by the generations of Collie coal workers.

Supported by $899,000 from the WA Government, the upgraded experience provides the unique opportunities for visitors to visualise and celebrate Collie’s rich history.

For more information, including opening times for self-guided tours or to book a guided tour with a former mine worker, visit the Collie Visitor Centre website.

With the EOI process aimed at starting the conversation with business and large-scale industrial projects that can help expand the region’s economy as it transitions away from its reliance on the coal sector.

Leveraging off Collie’s existing industry advantages such as the skilled workforce, the Fund has been developed to attract projects in three priority sectors – green manufacturing and minerals processing, energy intensive industries, and future clean energy industries. The initiative supports the highly skilled energy sector workers impacted by the staged retirement of State-owned coal power stations by 2029.

Forming part of the $547.4 million Collie Transition Package announced in June 2022, the WA Government encourages any interested businesses to learn more about the Collie Industrial Transition Fund here.

The Collie Mural Trail is an expansive outdoor art gallery, connecting Wellington Dam with Collie’s town centre. The trail tells stories about the Collie River Valley’s living heritage – focussing on strong voices from local people and places.

The $1.5 million trail project is one of the Collie region’s most popular tourist attractions.

Part of the trail includes a mega mural of more than 8,000-square metres which adorns the wall of the Wellington Dam.

Affectionately known as the biggest dam mural in the world, the artwork was created by world-renowned Australian artist Guido van Helten, who consulted with the community, listened to their stories about the area and looked through their family photo albums to draw inspiration to create a design that represented the community.

A series of smaller murals painted by Western Australian artists creates a trail throughout the Collie town that encourages visitors to walk around and support local businesses.

The State Government worked with local Aboriginal leaders, the Shire of Collie, local businesses and the broader community over the course of the project.

To find out more about the murals, visit the Collie Mural Trail website. 

The Kaneang Wiilman Suspension Bridge crosses over the Collie River on the Wiilman Bilya walking trail. 

The 90-metre bridge was built with a unique stress-ribbon design, using large steel cables to suspend the bridge in the air without traditional support towers.

Named to acknowledge the Kaneang and Wiilman people whose traditional country lies to the north, south and east of Collie, the bridge is a modern reimagining of a rope swing bridge that is lively and swings when walked on.

The bridge’s concrete footings feature a mural by local artist Natalie Veal, which depicts local plants and animals and a geometric pattern that represents the natural and cultural connections that exist in this ancient landscape. The blue lines represent the above-ground water table, while the thick white lines are the dividing lines between the different Willman tribes.

The bridge also forms a key part of the 72-kilometre five-day, four-night Wiilman Bilya Walk Trail currently under construction around Wellington Dam.  

Lake Kepwari is fast becoming one of the South West’s premier tourism destinations.

The State Government committed $5.2 million to develop Lake Kepwari as a recreational tourist destination and water sports events facility, as part of its plan to diversify Collie’s economy and create local jobs in the region.

The lake is a former open-cut coal mine which was operated by Premier Coal for several decades.

In November 2018, plans to complete the rehabilitation of the area were approved, with earthworks carried out before it was handed over to the State.

Development of recreational infrastructure including areas for swimming, camping and water-skiing was completed and opened for visitors in December 2020.

Visit the Parks and Wildlife Service for more information.

The Western Australian Government provided $1.1 million from the Collie Industry Attraction and Development Fund to the Shire of Collie to repair and upgrade the façades of 11 buildings.

Premier Mark McGowan officially opened the Throssell Street revitalisation works, which feature nostalgic elements including bullnose verandas, ornate detailing and hand-painted signwriting.

The town of Collie is experiencing a tourism boom since the completion of WA Government-funded projects, including the Collie Mural Trail, Lake Kepwari and the Arklow mountain bike trails.

The town has seen record-breaking numbers of tourists in recent times, with a 73 per cent increase in visitation recorded as a result of the targeted investment.

It is hoped the upgraded streetscape will encourage tourists to spend time walking around town supporting local businesses.

The work is in line with the WA Government’s commitment to Collie’s Just Transition Plan, which supports a diversification of new industries as Collie transitions from a reliance on the coal industry.

Collie is set to become home to WA’s first graphite processing plant, backed by a $2 million grant from the State Government.

Western Australian based company International Graphite will establish the new micronising and graphite foil manufacturing facility in Collie’s light industrial area.

The first stage of the project is expected to create around 40 full-time jobs for people in Collie and the surrounding region, with plans to expand the facility to add manufacturing capability… Read more. 

Collie is home to the $13.4 million Koolinup Emergency Services Centre, a facility created to manage complex emergencies in the South-West. 

The Centre is a base for an emergency driver training school for DFES staff and emergency service volunteers, and also functions as the State's first regionally-based Level 3 Incident Control Centre during major emergencies. 

Construction of the centre created 130 jobs in the region, with the contract awarded to South West-based construction company Perkins Builders, which also sourced about 70 per cent of the building materials, contractors and supply chains from Collie and South-West based businesses. 

Koolinup ESC underpins the State Government's investment in Collie's transformation into an emergency services vehicle manufacturing hub.

Site works have begun on a medicinal cannabis facility delivering job opportunities for local trade contractors.

Cannaponics Limited is building a new commercial cultivation, extraction, processing and distribution facility to compete in the rapidly growing medicinal cannabis industry.

The State Government has allocated $2 million from the Collie Futures Industry Development Fund to support the project.