Massive earthmovers like a rotating chain, transporting mined coal at Blair Athol opencast mine in the Bowen Basin near the agricultural town, Clermon

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Massive earthmovers like a rotating chain, transporting mined coal at Blair Athol opencast mine in the Bowen Basin near the agricultural town, Clermont in Queensland Central Highlands of Australia. Blair Athol takes its name after a village in Scotland, and its castle, home of the Duke of Athol. The opencast mine is part of Rio Tinto and produces around 12 million tonnes of steaming coal annually for export. About 75% of coal is exported mostly to China and other eastern Asian countries. After processing at the mine, coal is transported by an overland conveyor that runs parallel with the Peak Downs Hwy/State Route 70, a distance of some 275 km from the mine to the Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal at the port of Hay Point on the coast, south of Mackay.

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Size: 4288px × 2848px
Location: Clermont,Queensland, Australia
Photo credit: © richard sowersby / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: athol, australia, australian, blair, clermont, coal, earthmover, economy, energy, export, industry, mineral, opencast, queensland, rio, tinto