VPRS 19348 Brown Coal Investigation, Records of Boring Operations

This series contains records of boring operations carried out by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria (VA 1002) in the parishes of Hazelwood, Loy Yang and Maryvale. The records are copies of original documents of work conducted over the period of approximately 1913-1950, which were later collected and bound into volumes by the Mines Department (VA 612), possibly in the late 1940s – early 1950s. With few economic deposits of black coal found in Victoria, the Mines Department turned to brown coal as a main source of energy for generating power in the early twentieth century, with the Geological Survey of Victoria (VA 4118) playing a key role in the state’s large-scale exploitation of brown coal reserves. While considered the lowest grade of coal, brown coal was found to be abundant especially in the Latrobe Valley and provided a source of energy to developing Victoria. The State Electricity Commission of Victoria held responsibility for the development of the brown coal resources of the State, which in the post-war period of 1945-1950s was struggling. It’s thought that the volumes within this series relate to the Commission’s research into new brown coal resources during this period. Information included in these records includes the parish and specific location of bores, bore number, dates bores were started and completed, depth water was struck, particulars of core (soil, clay, coal, etc.), depth struck and thickness, and final depth of bore. There are also analyses of samples collected during drilling. Records are often signed by the Power Station Superintendent. This information is subject to further research.