Wonthaggi and the State Coal Mine were born out of desperation. The discovery of gold in the colony of Victoria in the 1850's saw Melbourne quickly become the financial and commercial centre of Australia. As the gold rush declined, continued prosperity was maintained by the development of a strong manufacturing sector and the opening up of vast areas of wilderness to agriculture. An impressive network of State owned railways played a vital role in this.

However, despite Victoria's riches, it lacked another type of gold - black gold. This was the era of King Coal, and Victoria was completely reliant on the private collieries in New South Wales for its supply. Disruptions to supply and high prices were a constant problem.

The precarious situation was to last until 1909, when a devastating strike in New South Wales paralysed Australia's coal supply. In desperation, the Victorian Government opened an emergency coal mine in an isolated and hostile region in South Eastern Victoria. In the heat of the moment, with very little debate, the Wonthaggi coal fields became a reality. It is here that 'Black Gold, Kindred Spirits' picks up the story.

A thriving tent city grew up on the wind swept plains, swelling to over 2000 people as droves of miners flocked from Victoria's now depressed gold mining centres. The initial euphoria and romance of the State Mine's birth would soon give way to the harsh realities of coal mining, especially in Wonthaggi. In time Wonthaggi would earn itself the title of Australia's most faulted and dangerous colliery.

Despite the fact that it was a state owned colliery, conditions at Wonthaggi were considerably worse than those of the private mines. Government contracts for coal were kept up with New South Wales to stop the Wonthaggi miners controlling the supply. To make matters worse, the State Mine was handed over to the Railways Department, a department with little mining experience.  Strikes and disaffection were synonymous with the State Mine.

In the wake of the First World War, miners arrived in Wonthaggi from all over the world. Most came from Great Britain's troubled coalfields, where decades of bitter industrial strife had forged strong union ideals. The poor conditions, and the influence of the new arrivals saw Wonthaggi develop into a highly organised centre of militant industrial unionism. It would soon become a blue-print for self-reliance and co-operation for other unions to follow.

The first major confrontation came in the dark years of the Depression. The year was 1934, incomes had been reduced by 70%, conditions worsened by the day. Plans for further reductions saw the people of Wonthaggi face off against the then Transport Minister, Robert Menzies, in a strike that would achieve national significance. Five months of hardship and community co-operation culminated in the miner's victory, inspiring an entire generation of Australian workers to fight for a better deal. Red Wonthaggi was born. Robert Menzies would later become Sir Robert Menzies, Australia's longest serving conservative Prime Minister. He would never forget. The strike of 34' also saw Australia's first Women's Auxiliary formed.  

Despite the Town's industrial influence, conditions in the mines continued to deteriorate. The Western Area mine was so close to the ocean that miners were forced to work in water up to their waists. By now, almost every second miner had suffered a serious accident. The biggest danger was gas.

Finally, the inevitable happened. On the morning of February 15th, 1937, the miners had gathered on the steps of the Union Theatre for a stop work meeting to protest the continuing lack of safety in the mines. The meeting was about to begin when a violent explosion rocked the town; 20 shaft had blown up. That morning 13 maintenance men had descended the shaft. Tragically, all 13 lost their lives, and that morning in February became etched in Wonthaggi's memory. The tragedy resulted in a successful national campaign to improve conditions for all Australian miners.

The decrepit State Coal Mine struggled through the war years, providing the resource strapped State with a constant flow of much needed coal.

The post war years marked the beginning of national confrontation steeped in cold war tension. The war years had taken their toll and all Australian coal mines were in a sorry state, with record numbers of miners killed and injured. This period of turmoil culminated in the national coal strike of 1949. The country was brought to a grinding halt. It was a strikebased on the principles of Wonthaggi, but one which lacked a clear understanding of them.

The Miner's Federation had counted on the tacit support of the Federal Chifley Labor Government, but to the their dismay, the Chifley Government actively set about breaking the strike. Troops were sent into the miners and union leaders were jailed. Despite Wonthaggi's unity and organisation, it could not stop a national disintegration. Eventually miners across Australia voted to return to work, broken and empty handed. Only Wonthaggi voted to fight on.

While the Miner's Federation recovered and went on to further campaigns, defeat in 49' signalled Wonthaggi's economic and industrial exhaustion. Realising their days were numbered, the men were now more interested in,finishing their time in the pits. Red Wonthaggi was dying.