The Mt. Kembla disaster

by Stuart Piggin

On 31 July 1902 the Mt Kembla coal mine in New South Wales exploded, killing ninety-six men. It is the worst disaster to occur on land in Australia's history. The explosion took place during a time of social and industrial upheaval, when safety issues had become a bargaining point between management and miners. The New South Wales coal industry was slowly emerging from the 1890s depression, and the miners were testing their industrial strength in the Arbitration Court. The Mt Kembla Disaster is a rich social history which traces the events, from the decades leading up to the blast, the...

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