Lou Storti ... never happier than when he was driving tunnels or digging coal.
By John Bordignon
LUCIANO ‘Lou’ Storti was born for coal mining. He started work at the State Coal Mine as a 19-year-old and worked there on and off in several roles, paid and unpaid, for the next 70 years.
I never told him to his face, but I used to refer to him as a reincarnated wombat because he was happiest when he was driving tunnels or digging coal. The mine was not just Lou’s job but his passion and love. He put in endless hours of unpaid work. Many a time he would go up to the mine in the middle of a wet cold winter night to make sure the little old ajax pump was still pumping water up the 60 metre bore.
LUCIANO ‘Lou’ Storti was born for coal mining. He started work at the State Coal Mine as a 19-year-old and worked there on and off in several roles, paid and unpaid, for the next 70 years.
I never told him to his face, but I used to refer to him as a reincarnated wombat because he was happiest when he was driving tunnels or digging coal. The mine was not just Lou’s job but his passion and love. He put in endless hours of unpaid work. Many a time he would go up to the mine in the middle of a wet cold winter night to make sure the little old ajax pump was still pumping water up the 60 metre bore.
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To start at the beginning, he began work at the State Coal Mine in Wonthaggi on December 6 1949, soon after arriving from Italy to join his father Giovanni and older brother, Attilio.
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Luciano (Lou) Storti Born March 5, 1930, died March 16, 2026 |
He worked there for the next 18 years except for a brief period in 1950 when he was persuaded to work on the Snowy River Hydro. He disliked it so much he returned to Wonthaggi after two weeks.
When the mine closed in December 1968, Lou with his brother Attilio, Frank Zanella and Curly Trotto, formed a syndicate and leased East Area from the Mines Department. They mined the coal and sold it locally and even engaged Danny Carr to manufacture a black coal briquette making machine. Unfortunately people were used to keeping their coal out in the yard and the briquettes melted when it rained, so the venture failed and the mine closed again in the early 1970s.
In 1982 a film company called TRM Productions headed by Richard Lowenstein was seeking a disused mine to film Strikebound, a feature story about the stay-in strike at Korumburra in the 1930s. The East Area was chosen as the best location because these were the last tunnels to close.
When the mine closed in December 1968, Lou with his brother Attilio, Frank Zanella and Curly Trotto, formed a syndicate and leased East Area from the Mines Department. They mined the coal and sold it locally and even engaged Danny Carr to manufacture a black coal briquette making machine. Unfortunately people were used to keeping their coal out in the yard and the briquettes melted when it rained, so the venture failed and the mine closed again in the early 1970s.
In 1982 a film company called TRM Productions headed by Richard Lowenstein was seeking a disused mine to film Strikebound, a feature story about the stay-in strike at Korumburra in the 1930s. The East Area was chosen as the best location because these were the last tunnels to close.
“Lou loved being underground. Absolutely! And I can understand it ... there was this comradeship underground. You looked out for each other, because you had to.” |
Lou was employed to reopen the workings and make them safe for filming. Since mining had stopped, the tunnels had filled up with water to within 20 metres from the surface It took several months for the water to be pumped out, back to No 1 Bench. As the water receded down the tunnel, Lou and the workers would follow, repairing timber and clearing falls of rock which had occurred during the mine’s closure.
Around this time, it was suggested that it would be a shame to abandon the mine again after all the work that had been done to rehabilitate it, and it could possibly become a tourist attraction after filming was completed.
Around this time, it was suggested that it would be a shame to abandon the mine again after all the work that had been done to rehabilitate it, and it could possibly become a tourist attraction after filming was completed.
“If you want to see buildings you can go to Coal Creek, you come here to go down a real mine.” |
Discussions with Tourism Victoria and the then Department of Conservation, Forest and Lands resulted in an agreement to keep the mine open as a tourist mine with Lou to be employed as manager.
Lou, with two employees and the help of several ex-miners, set about restoring the mine to a safe condition for public tours. A volunteer group of mainly ex-mine employees was formed to assist with guided tours, maintenance and fund raising to assist with improvements. The first tours started in November 1984.
Lou, with two employees and the help of several ex-miners, set about restoring the mine to a safe condition for public tours. A volunteer group of mainly ex-mine employees was formed to assist with guided tours, maintenance and fund raising to assist with improvements. The first tours started in November 1984.
Thanks to Lou Storti and his comrades, underground tours of the State Coal Mine are now a
major tourist attraction. Photo: Parks Victoria
major tourist attraction. Photo: Parks Victoria
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Lou threw himself into developing the mine to improve the underground experience. He would always say “If you want to see buildings you can go to Coal Creek, you come here to go down a real mine.”
With the help of the SES crew, they would go down every Tuesday from 6pm to 10 pm to do maintenance and advancement works in the old tunnel commenced in the early 1970s. The CFA also got involved and it became known as the Tuesday night crew which still operates to this day. Lou was never much for departmental paperwork and politics. When I started work at the State Coal Mine in 1990, he quite happily handed all the paperwork over to me. Having worked in the State Bank and SEC, I tried to do it diligently. Many a time Lou would come into the office to hurry me up: “Don’t worry about that, we have to go underground and do some real work”. |
By Moz Wilson I got involved with the State Coal Mine in `92 when Lou was manager of the mine for Parks Victoria. He taught me how to use a pick, shovel and explosives. Lou was taking tours underground and giving a first-hand account of what used to happen. He was straight to the point. People loved listening to him talk about the old days. Lou loved being underground. Absolutely! Without a word of a lie. And I can understand it because I loved it too. There was this comradeship underground. You looked out for each other, because you had to. You worked hard, you sweated like buggery, we did it because we loved working underground. It's just something … I don't know whether it's in the blood. Some people hated it and some loved it until they were nearly killed, and then they never went back down to mine. The mine wouldn’t be a tourist attraction if it wasn't for Lou. When he finished with Parks Victoria he still went down the mine every Tuesday night with everyone else, working to recondition it. He was up at the mine until he was nearly 90. It’s extraordinary what Lou and the others created and how much it meant to them. Garry ‘Moz’ Wilson is president of the Friends of the State Coal Mine. |
He wasn’t a great one for departmental procedures either. He soon got sick of having to go through a heap of loops to get a project approved. Lou’s motto became “Let’s just do it. By the time they find out, the job will be done, and what are they going to do about it?”
He was aways on the lookout for a bit of fun. On my first day as an employee, we all travelled to the bottom of the main tunnel in the skips to do some maintenance. As we stopped at the bottom, I heard all this commotion overhead and dived out of the skips in fright. Next thing we heard all this laughter as Lou climbed down from a large hollow in the roof called a chock. That was my initiation to the mine.
He was aways on the lookout for a bit of fun. On my first day as an employee, we all travelled to the bottom of the main tunnel in the skips to do some maintenance. As we stopped at the bottom, I heard all this commotion overhead and dived out of the skips in fright. Next thing we heard all this laughter as Lou climbed down from a large hollow in the roof called a chock. That was my initiation to the mine.
"Lou still looked upon it as his mine – and the town is indebted for his efforts to preserve our mining history." |
Those old boys had so much fun. In winter they’d light the fire in the old cottage and sit there and tell stories. There were a lot of shenanigans and laughter. Visitors to the mine would see them there and come up and just listen to them for ages, spellbound.
They were the salt of the earth. It was a different time, different attitudes. Their attitude was – if you want to get something done you just get on and do it.
We can’t underestimate the amount of development and work carried out at East Area since 1984. All this was achieved because of Lou’s love and passion for the mine. He still looked upon it as his mine – and the town is indebted for his efforts to preserve our mining history.
John Bordignon took over as manager of the State Coal Mine for Parks Victoria in 1995 following Lou Storti’s retirement.
They were the salt of the earth. It was a different time, different attitudes. Their attitude was – if you want to get something done you just get on and do it.
We can’t underestimate the amount of development and work carried out at East Area since 1984. All this was achieved because of Lou’s love and passion for the mine. He still looked upon it as his mine – and the town is indebted for his efforts to preserve our mining history.
John Bordignon took over as manager of the State Coal Mine for Parks Victoria in 1995 following Lou Storti’s retirement.