Published in March 2008 Australian Longwall Magazine

While Xstrata never mined coal from the operation it did set out to rehabilitate the site and capitalise on its land value.

Over the years the company spent $8.5 million on projects to return the site to bushland and plan an urban development.

The project team removed 34,000 tonnes of diesel contaminated material from a one hectare area and backfilled the site.

Previously filled adits and shafts from the old mine were resealed and secured and an open cut area was backfilled.

Xstrata also restored the Maryland Creek through re-diverting it back to its original course and revegetating the water edges.

According to the NSW Minerals Council State of Industry Report, Xstrata's goal for this project was to illustrate the sustainability of the mining industry and how a positive legacy could be left for future generations following mining.