Collie, Western Australia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Collie Western Australia
Main street of Collie
Collie Location in Western Australia
Established	1897
Postcode(s)	6225
Elevation	204 m (669 ft)
Area	[convert: needs a number]
Location	213 km (132 mi) S of Perth 59 km (37 mi) E of Bunbury
LGA(s)	Shire of Collie
State electorate(s)	Collie-Preston
Federal Division(s)	O'Connor
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 23.2 °C 74 °F 8.5 °C 47 °F 703.6 mm 27.7 in
Localities around Collie: Allanson Harris River Palmer Mungalup Collie Shotts Mungalup Preston Settlement Collie Burn

Collie is a town in the South West part of Western Australia. It is about 213 kilometres (132 mi) south of Perth, the state capital. The town is also 59 kilometres (37 mi) inland from Bunbury, a regional city and port.

Collie is located near where the Collie and Harris Rivers meet. It is surrounded by thick jarrah forests. This area is special because it has the only coalfields in Western Australia. In 2021, about 7,599 people lived in Collie.

The town is mostly known for producing coal. However, it also has other industries like farming and fish farming. You can find three large power stations near Collie: Muja Power Station, Collie Power Station, and Bluewaters Power Station. West of the town is the Wellington Dam, a popular spot for fishing, swimming, and boating.

Collie is named after the Collie River. The river itself was named after Alexander Collie. He and William Preston were the first Europeans to explore this area in 1829. Coal was found here in the early 1880s by a shepherd named George Marsh. The town was officially set up in 1897, and the first coal mine opened in 1927.

Collie was once called a "dirty mining town." But on April 8, 2006, it won the Australian Tidy Towns Competition. Collie was chosen as the best Tidy Town because its community worked hard on recycling, managing waste, making the town beautiful, and doing community projects.

People in Collie

In 2021, there were 7,599 people living in Collie.

• About 4.8% of the people were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.
• Most people (81.0%) were born in Australia.
• The next most common places of birth were England (3.9%) and New Zealand (2.1%).
• About 89.0% of people spoke only English at home.
• For religion, 51.5% said they had no religion. Catholic was 16.3%, and Anglican was 12.5%.

What Collie Does: Industry and Economy

Collie plays a big part in providing electricity for Western Australia. The state's two main coal mines are located here. There are also three coal-fired power stations. The government is looking into new ways to produce power in the future.

One of the main coal mining operations, Premier Coal, can produce about 5 million tonnes (11 billion pounds) of coal each year. Another important mine, Griffin Coal, is owned by an Indian company called Lanco Infratech.

Learning in Collie

Collie has five primary schools for younger students:

• Allanson Primary School
• Fairview Primary School
• Amaroo Primary School
• Saint Brigid's Catholic College
• Wilson Park Primary School

For older students, there is one high school:

• Collie Senior High School

Fun Things to Do and Places to Visit

Collie has many places for tourists and visitors to enjoy.

• The Steam Locomotive Museum lets you see old trains.
• The Collie Art Gallery shows off local art.
• Minninup Pool is a natural swimming spot.
• Wellington Dam is a large dam where you can fish and boat.

There are also parks like Soldier's Memorial Park. Natural spots include the Collie River. Man-made lakes and reservoirs like Stockton Lake, Lake Kepwari, Harris River Dam, and Wellington Dam are great for fun activities.

For sports, you can visit the Roche Park Recreation Centre, Collie Hockey Grounds, and the Collie Eagles Oval.

Collie is also home to the Collie Motorplex. This is one of the few places in Western Australia outside of Perth where you can watch or take part in motorsport events.

To learn about the town's past, you can visit the Coalfields Museum and Historical Research Centre. It shows how Collie grew as a mining town.

Collie's Weather

Collie has a Mediterranean climate. This means it has warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters.

On December 12, 2012, Collie had unusual storms. It rained 126 millimetres (5 in) in just 12 hours, causing some flooding. Several houses had to be evacuated because of the water.

Sports in Collie

Collie Speedway is a place where people race motorcycles. It is on the eastern edge of Collie. The track opened in 1971. It has hosted important motorcycle speedway events. This includes qualifying rounds for the Speedway World Championship. It has also hosted the final of the Western Australian Individual Speedway Championship twice.

Gallery

See also

In Spanish: Collie (Australia Occidental) para niños