"Keeweechic's Collie" Collie by keeweechic

Collie lies in within a valley of the Darling Ranges and is around 200km south of Perth. The town was declared in 1896 and named after Dr Alexander Collie RN who discovered the area in 1829. Once recognized for its timber production, it was actually in 1883 that the real significance of the area became known with the discovery of coal. Collie grew to become an important town with its supply of coal to the State and was an important resource for power production in shipping, railways and the generation of electricity. Collie has always been proud of its mining heritage and it wasn't until 1994 that all underground mining ceased and all future mining was then done by the open cut method. With rail transportation, Collie had one of the largest marshalling yards outside of the Perth metro area. Timber mills were plentiful with some continuing to supply the community well into the 1950s.

The Shire is mostly made up of either National Forest, State Forest or Conservation Park. Within these areas are varied waterways which offer a wide range of recreational activities, as well as walks through Jarrah, Marri and Sheoak forests. Collie is a thriving little community of 9,000 people which is on the move towards a prosperous future. There are a number of industrial estates in the area being investigated by both private investment and the Government of WA which will ensure Collie's growth.

(Map courtesy of the Collierivervalley.org.au)