Collie, Western Australia
Collie is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, 213 kilometres (132 mi) south of the state capital, Perth, and 59 kilometres (37 mi) inland from the regional city and port of Bunbury. It is near the junction of the Collie and Harris Rivers, in the middle of dense jarrah forest and the only coalfields in Western Australia. At the 2021 census, Collie had a population of 7,599.
| Collie Western Australia | |||||||||
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Main street of Collie | |||||||||
Collie | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 33.363°S 116.156°E | ||||||||
| Population | 7,184 (UCL 2021) | ||||||||
| Established | 1897 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 6225 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 204 m (669 ft) | ||||||||
| Area | 53.4 km2 (20.6 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Shire of Collie | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Collie-Preston | ||||||||
| Federal division(s) | O'Connor | ||||||||
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Collie is mainly known as a coal-producing centre, but also offers industrial, agricultural and aquaculture tourism industries. Muja Power Station is located east of the town, and to its west is the Wellington Dam, a popular location for fishing, swimming and boating.
The town is named after the river on which it is situated. James Stirling named the Collie River, which in turn is named after Alexander Collie. He and William Preston were the first Europeans to explore the area, in 1829.
It has been reported that coal was discovered in the area by a shepherd named George Marsh in the early 1880s. The townsite was surveyed and gazetted in 1897. The first coal mine opened in 1927.
Collie was once referred to as a "dirty mining town", but on 8 April 2006 it won the Australian Tidy Towns Competition from finalists from six states and the Northern Territory. Collie was named the top Tidy Town because of the commitment of the community to recycling, waste management, beautification and community projects.