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Wonthaggi is a reasonably sized town on the Bass Hwy near Phillip Island in South Gippsland.
It is the major coal producing town for Victoria and has also developed a keen tourism industry due to its proximity to Phillip Island and Wilsons Promontory.
There is an excellent information centre, displays in the park, and a poppet head from the mining days.
Between 1910 and 1968, black coal was mined from Wonthaggi's network of underground mines, creating a thriving industrial settlement for miners and their families during those years. Since the mine closure, Wonthaggi has developed into a large commercial centre, with parts of the old mine now reopened for guided tours. Places of interest in the town include the former railway station which houses the Wonthaggi Historical Society and displayed outside the Wonthaggi Hotel are the giant jaw bones of a 23 metre whale that washed up on a near by beach back in 1923.
Located just 7 kilometres south of the Wonthaggi town centre is the seaside community of Cape Patterson which offers a scenic and tranquil coastal retreat for visitors.
State Coal Mine
Visitors walk 250 metres into this historic black coal mine. Underground tours are guided by former miners and their descendants. Above ground, visitors can explore historic buildings and view a short film.
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