Queensland's Black Gold

The story so far...

I'm a geologist, and a kiwi. I've worked in New Zealand for the ten years since I graduated, the last six as a coal petrologist (microscopist to you). Earlier this year I decided to follow the sun and Aussie dollars, and got a job in Queensland.

The industry here is huge - New Zealand mines about 3.3 million tonnes a year, compared with nearly 380 Mt in Australia. And it's growing fast, thanks to the booming economies of India and China.

What does a coal geologist do? So far, I've worked on drill sites, examining and storing the drillcore as it's brought to the surface. The information goes into computer models so mining companies can plan future developments.

I'm living and working in a mining town called Moranbah in central Queensland. It's about 180km inland, so still fairly coastal by Aussie standards. We work three weeks on, one week off - and in my weeks off I go travelling! My last trip was to Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands.