After exploring the gold mines around Lyell we followed the Buller river out to the coast near the town of Westport. We were able to find a freedom camping spot right on the beach.
The next morning we woke up and enjoyed our breakfast looking out at the ocean. As the tide was out we went for a walk along the beach, which was an odd combination of sand and pebbles. Looking inland we could see the clouds gathering over the mountains, and the early morning mist hanging in the valleys, but along the coastal strip the weather didn’t seem too bad so we got the campervan packed up and started out for a day of exploring.
Our first stop of the day was to the former coal mining area on the Denniston Plateau just above Westport. Coal was first discovered in the area in 1860 and by 1878 the first coal mine was opened on the plateau. As we coaxed our slightly reluctant campervan up the nine kilometers of winding mountain road, it was hard to believe that until 1902, when the road was built, the only access to the mine and the settlements was via a steep walking track or in the coal carts up the incline.
The incline, was a self-acting incline that was powered by gravity. The twelve tonne wagons full of coal would head straight down the incline tracks on a grade of 1 in 2.22.
As we explored the area around the top of the incline, you really got a feel for just how steep the drop was. Standing on the edge of the plateau looking out towards the coast on a slightly grey day the area looked quite peaceful, it was hard to imagine what this area would have been like when wagons full of coal were hurtling down the incline.
The decline in demand for coal in 1960s, resulted in reduced production from the Denniston plateau and with other, safer methods of getting the coal to the railway at the coast, the incline closed in 1967.
It was strange to look around the area and realise that it had really only quite recently been abandoned. The last mine on the Denniston plateau, run by Coalcorp closed as recently as 1995. Since that time the area has been restored and is now managed by the DOC and they have done a great job of not only preserving the remains of the incline, but also gathering photos and stories about life in the coal mining communities on the Denniston plateau.