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Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway
SLNSW 796560 State Mine Lithgow.jpg
Lithgow State Coal Mine, ca. 1900-27;
(Collection of the State Library of New South Wales)
Location State Mine Gully Road, Lithgow, New South Wales
Type Railway and mining museum
Owner The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum Inc

The Lithgow State Mine Heritage Park & Railway is an exciting museum in Lithgow, New South Wales. It's located in the Central Tablelands of Australia. This museum teaches you all about the history of railways and coal mining. It's a fantastic place to explore how people worked in the past.

What You Can See at the Museum

The museum is mainly about coal mining and other related industries. Its main goal is to show off the amazing industrial history of the western coalfields in New South Wales.

Mining Machines and Tools

The mining museum has a huge collection of items used in coal mining. You can see big machines like coal cutters and coal loaders. There are also continuous miners and special underground transport vehicles. The museum also uses cool multimedia displays to help you learn.

How the Museum Started

The City of Greater Lithgow Mining Museum Inc. owns and runs this museum. It began in 1990 when a mining company gave the old Lithgow State Coal Mine site to the Lithgow community.

The Mine's History

The museum is on the northern edge of Lithgow. It's built on the site of the old State Coal Mine. This mine closed in 1964 after it was damaged by floods. The museum is connected to the main railway line by a 1.5-kilometer track. In 1976, the site was sold to a company. This company then donated the site to the City of Lithgow in 1990. Restoration work started soon after that. In October 2001, a fire unfortunately damaged a building and some old train cars.