FROM MINES TO VINES AND BEYOND

RECIPIENT

Ari Stein

PROGRAM

Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (Honours), University of Technology Sydney

PROJECT STATEMENT

Coal mining has been an integral part of Australia’s long-term economic prosperity, but also an activity that has attracted significant controversy. The New South Wales Hunter

Valley region has long been an essential part of Australia’s mining and resources sector. In an era of climate change with efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, however, this industry may be entering a terminal phase. At the same time, the Hunter Valley – also a longstanding wine-growing region – is under threat from rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns. Could resilient viticulture and tourism replace coal as the region transitions into the future?

This project examines the remains of the mining industry, along with the future of viticultural landscapes in the Hunter Valley, exploring how both industries have shaped the landscape character of the region. The project imagines decommissioned mines and collieries, vineyard landscapes, environmental protection zones and post-mining regional towns all woven together by a multi-day hiking trail, repurposing railway corridors, industrial infrastructures and high-voltage electricity easements. The project proposes new connections between coal’s industrial heritage and high-value agricultural and tourist economies, and aims to celebrate, restore and reconnect local communities, visitors and ecologies within the Hunter Valley region.

0202A proposed intervention on a disused coal railway line running through the Hunter Wetlands National Park, west of Newcastle.

0303A proposal for an open-air bathhouse in the ruins of the Aberdare colliery winding block.

01 01The site of the Mount Arthur Coal Mine with the cooling towers of the BayswaterPower Station in the background. The proposal imagines these sites being repurposed over time for large-scale festivals and other gatherings.