Name of the Mine
Tarrawonga mine.

Location  
About 16 km north-east of Boggabri, in Australia.

Mine Owner/s 
Whitehaven Coal.

Brief Description  
Tarrawonga mine forms part Gunnedah opencut mines, which also comprises the Werris Creek mine.

Tarrawonga is part of the bedrock of Whitehaven’s business since the company’s formation in 1999 in the Gunnedah coal basin.

Brief History  
The mine started operation in 2006.

Primary Metals/Minerals  
Thermal and semisoft coking coals.

Secondary Metals/Minerals  
Tarrawanga also hosts other mineral deposits, including minor occurrences of clay, sandstone and shale. 

Geology/Mineralisation  
The Tarrawonga mine is situated within a region renowned for its significant coal reserves – the Gunnedah basin, a sedimentary basin formed during the Permian period, an estimated 300-million years ago. This basin is characterised by alternating layers of sandstone, siltstone and shale, which were deposited over millions of years in ancient river systems, lakes and swamps.

The coal deposits at Tarrawonga primarily occur within the Late Permian-age Black Jack Group comprising the Maules Creek Formation and the Hoskissons Coal. These coal seams were formed from the accumulation of organic matter in ancient swamps and marshes, which underwent compaction and biochemical transformation into coal over geological time scales.

The mineralisation at Tarrawonga predominantly encompasses bituminous coal, which is prized for its high energy content and suitability for various industrial applications, including electricity generation and steel production. The coal seams at Tarrawonga typically range in thickness from several metres to tens of metres, with varying qualities of coal across different seams.

Reserves  
Tarrawonga hosted 25-million tonnes of recoverable coal reserves as at August 31, 2023.

Resources  
Total opencut recoverable mineral measured, indicated and inferred resources as at August 31, 2023, were estimated at 61-million tonnes. Total underground recoverable mineral measured, indicated and inferred resources were estimated at 39-million tonnes.

Type of Mine
Opencut.

Mining Method  
Opencut mining involves the excavation of coal from large openpits or benches, where the coal seams are relatively close to the surface. This includes site preparation, drilling and blasting, excavation and coal processing.

Major Infrastructure/Equipment  
The equipment used at the Tarrawonga mine comprises a range of heavy machinery and specialised vehicles tailored to the needs of opencut coal mining operations, including excavators, haul trucks, bulldozers, drilling rigs, wheel loaders, graders, water trucks, crushers and screens, as well as conveyors and support equipment.

Infrastructure includes mine offices and administration buildings, workshops and maintenance facilities, a coal handling and processing plant, waste rock dumps, water management infrastructure, fuel storage and distribution, power supply, roads and transportation infrastructure, and safety and emergency response facilities.

Prospects  
Mining at Tarrawonga is expected to be concluded in 2032.

Contact Details 
Whitehaven Coal
Tel +61 2 6741 5000
Email tarrawongacoal@whitehavencoal.com.au

Sources
Whitehaven Coal. Website: https://whitehavencoal.com.au/ 
Whitehaven Coal. Annual Report 2023 (August 24, 2023).
Whitehaven Coal. Coal Resources and Coal Reserves for 2023 (September 19, 2023).