Collie, Western Australia

Collie Western Australia
Main street of Collie
Collie
Coordinates	33°21′47″S 116°09′22″E / 33.363°S 116.156°E / -33.363; 116.156Coordinates: 33°21′47″S 116°09′22″E / 33.363°S 116.156°E / -33.363; 116.156
Population	6,998 (2011 census)
Established	1897
Postcode(s)	6225
Elevation	204 m (669 ft)
Location	213 km (132 mi) S of Perth 59 km (37 mi) E of Bunbury
LGA(s)	Shire of Collie
State electorate(s)	Collie-Preston
Federal Division(s)	Forrest
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 22.5 °C 73 °F 8.4 °C 47 °F 940.2 mm 37 in

Collie is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, 213 kilometres (132 mi) south of the state capital, Perth, and 59 kilometres (37 mi) inland from the regional city and port of Bunbury. It is near the junction of the Collie and Harris Rivers, in the middle of dense jarrah forest and the only coalfields in Western Australia. At the 2011 census, Collie had a population of 6,998.

Collie is mainly known as a coal-producing centre, but also offers industrial, agricultural and aquaculture tourism industries. Muja Power station is located east of the town, and to its west is the Wellington Dam, a popular location for fishing, swimming and boating.

The town is named after the river on which it is situated. James Stirling named the Collie River, which in turn is named after Dr Alexander Collie. He and William Preston were the first Europeans to explore the area in 1829.

Coal was discovered in the area by a shepherd named George Marsh in the early 1880s. The coal fields were developed in the late 1890s and the townsite surveyed and gazetted in 1897.

Collie was once referred to as a "dirty mining town", but on 8 April 2006 it won the Australian Tidy Towns Competition from finalists from six States and the Northern Territory. Collie was named the top Tidy Town because of the commitment of the community to recycling, waste management, beautification and community projects.

Collie has a significant role in the provision of electricity for Western Australia. There are two coal mines in the town and three power stations. The government of Western Australia will soon commission a new base load power station, for which a number of Collie base proposals have been made.