Environment

The Collie Shire contains a diversity of landforms due to its location within the Darling Plateau system. The Shire has two distinct landform units within the Shire;-

• The Darling Plateau System – a gently undulating dissection plateau surface with broad crests and moderately incised valleys. Valleys to the east are broad and generally shallow;
• The Collie Basin – An area of minor valleys and swampy depressions containing deeply incised valleys of the Collie River system

Approximately 80% of the Collie Shire area contains land administered by the Department of Conservation and Land Management (State Forest).

Native vegetation of the Shire is predominantly Jarrah and Marri, sometimes with Yarri on loamy soils in valleys, Wandoo on valley slopes and Bullich and flooded gum, paperbark, shrubs and sedges occur along some watercourses and wet areas. Banksia occur on the drier lateritic upland sites.

Tidy Town 2006 Collie took out the top honours at the 2006 Australian Tidy Towns Awards.

The South-West town won the Keep Australia Beautiful national competition, beating other state and territory finalists in April 2006.

It is the second time Collie has advanced to the national awards as a State winner and it is the third national title for Western Australia in 10 years.

This national accolade is a fantastic achievement for the Collie community. Collie's Tidy Towns Committee plays an important role in preserving and enhancing the local environment through a broad range of projects, and they have developed alliances for a sustainable future. The committee, made up of concerned and proud residents, including youth representatives, believes that the Collie community should minimise human impacts through responsible environmental management while respecting the rights of human endeavours.

The community has shown a fantastic commitment to the program over almost 20 years. Collie's schools have an ongoing commitment to environmental care as well as visual improvement programs. From paper recycling programs in place, in partnership with local mining organisations, to litter reduction approaches and community planting programs as well as numerous beautification projects undertaken for overall community benefit. Collie's students continue to learn about innovative ways to lessen their impact on the environment.

Collie is a great example of how the 37-year-old Tidy Towns program has evolved - no longer does the program focus on people picking up litter and beautifying their streets. The people of Collie addressed key social, environmental and cultural concerns of importance to their community. Schools, community groups, local businesses, industry, and hundreds of individuals worked on many projects and new innovations, including river restoration, weed eradication, 'recycling' grass trees, collection of ring pulls for prosthetic limbs, mobile phones for reuse; and building a hydrocarbon recycling facility.

The Tidy Towns program has provided Collie with an opportunity to change past public perceptions of the town as a 'dirty coal mining' town to one that is more than proud of its cultural heritage but also committed to building its community spirit and ensuring a sustainable future for the town.