A giant wheel newly taking pride of place in a West Wallsend park is a high-profile nod to the suburb's rich mining history.
Lake Macquarie Mayor Adam Shultz, community representatives and volunteers from the West Wallsend District Heritage Group gathered in Gregory Park on Monday afternoon to officially open the new installation.
The wheel, once a common sight in these parts, albeit a little further off the ground, was originally used at West Wallsend Colliery No.2 in the 1970s and 1980s, mounted on a headframe to guide cables down a mine shaft.
Mayor Adam said Glencore Australia donated it to Lake Macquarie City Council after the mine shut down in 2016.
"The wheel highlights a key part of a mine site's operational history and provides a glimpse back to a time when West Wallsend and surrounding suburbs were a hive of coal mining activity," he said.
Third generation mine worker Nigel Perry, who spent 36 years in the West Wallsend Colliery before its closure, said it was great to see a tangible piece of the mine's heritage standing proud.
"It's a symbol of all the hard work of so many people," he said.
"A lot of great people worked there and a lot of them aren't with us any more. They spent their working lives underground. It was hard work, and this is a tribute to them."
The installation has been dedicated to Leah Buchanan, a West Wallsend District Heritage Group volunteer who was pivotal in the wheel's preservation, but who sadly died earlier this year.
Her sister, Chrissie, who is also a member of the heritage group, said Leah would have been proud.
"She waited so long to get it," she said.
"It's part of the history of our town and it's what we're all about."
An interpretive sign also features, teaching visitors more about the installation and how mine pit head wheels worked.
