{ Sydney Bits } ✈ Sydney's Major Economic Activity Coal Mining

as part of the Blue Mountain tour package, we visited the Katoomba Coal Mine 1878 n the Blue Mountain National Park. Mining is a dangerous profession as you can imagine,  fire + cave + long hours. 

we were told by the tour guide that the export of coal to fuel China's rapid economic progress also helps them to tide over the recent economical crisis 2007-2012, or rather economical crisis did not hit Australia due to the burgeoning coal demand from China *stats at the end. 

because of the huge demand  + shortage of  miners,  even young fit female miners are enticed to join the mining workforce.  heehee real coal in my hands!

generally, a miner could pocket AUS$3000 for 3 days of  work. so there's a pool of manpower who is referred as 'Fly-In Fly-Out' - fly into Australia and work over the weekend and fly back to their country and fly back in the next week on a cycle 

here, you can take a peep into the grotto.

mining tools on display

now I know why this isolated country has a strong economy despite the lack of a strategic trading port or sort - the bloodline of the economy lies in the bountiful coal :D

*China-->Australia  FDI 2004-2010: $6.97 billion source

China is Australia’s top trading partner. Chinese appetite for the country’s natural resources has made Australia one of the biggest recipients of Chinese foreign investment.

China’s FDI in Australia increased significantly after 2007. Net FDI from China doubled from $531.6 million in 2007 to $1.9 billion in 2008. Despite the global financial crisis, Australia saw another $2.4 billion in FDI from China in 2009. That same year, the Australia government changed its investment rules to limit Chinese investments in local mining companies, according to confidential U.S. embassy cables leaked by Wikileaks. The move came after China’s state-owned Chinalco was denied an 18 percent acquisition in mining giant Rio Tinto for $19.5 billion.