An Australian Miner: The Cliché Vs The Reality

By Author: James Delay
Total Articles: 9
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When many people think of mining, the image that comes most readily to mind is one of coal-blackened faces of men working hard in the dark recesses of long, underground tunnels, wearing mining helmets complete with the light on the front, carrying a canary in a cage and swinging pickaxes at a stony wall.

The reality is that while this type of miner probably still exists in developing countries, in Australia they've mostly vanished into history.

These days, the word "miner" might refer to a number of different roles, and few of the workers in them—if any—would carry a pickaxe. Most of the mine workers today operate machines. They might operate diggers, excavators, loaders, graders, boggers (underground loaders) or jumbos (drill rigs). They might drive trucks, dump trucks, water trucks or road trains. Or they might not operate any of these, but might instead be responsible for blasting.

And then there are the miners who don't work in the mines at all, but rather work to find or assess mineral deposits for potential mining in the future.

As well as all these, there are the associated, necessary ...
... jobs that must be done on any mining site, but which aren't exactly mining. Jobs that include providing security, catering and cleaning services. Jobs including administration and finance, and safety and medical roles. Trade jobs, like electricians, mechanics, builders and carpenters. Even pilots and geologists can be found in most mining sites.

Nor is the most common type of mine the underground mine of Hollywood legend, with Harrison Ford or Brendan Fraser performing stunts in speeding mine cars. These days, open pit mines outnumber underground mines by at least two to one, so most of the mining is done outdoors. No mine cars or railway lines. No shaky wooden framing. No Harrison Ford or Brendan Fraser.

Nor do miners necessarily emerge from mines covered in the grimy blackness of a layer of coal-dust—although there is some truth to this one. Mining can indeed be a dirty job, but while Australia is the world's largest exporter of coal, there are at least as many mines where the product is something else entirely. Like gold, lead, tin, silver, zinc or uranium. The miners still may end up covered in dirt, but in these cases it will likely be a different color.

And the canary? Miners used to take canaries down into the mines to make sure the air was safe to breathe. Canaries are more susceptible to methane, carbon monoxide and other airborne toxic substances than human beings, so the idea was that if you were a miner and your canary died or started to convulse, that was your signal to get out of that mine as quickly as possible.

There's no canary-cruelty any more. Instead, miners carry sophisticated, reliable electronic devices that measure the quality of the air and signal the miner if anything is amiss.

About the only thing in the cliché that really rings true is that mining is indeed very hard work, and not for the faint of heart.

Mining Australia gives you all the information you need to get into a well-paying job in the mining industry in Australia.