Chris Smith has taken his show somewhere no 2GB host has gone before.

Into the depths of a working coal mine.

In partnership with the NSW Minerals Council and Centennial Coal, he broadcast live from the Myuna Colliery at Lake Macquarie.

WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE BROADCAST

After taking a dolly car down about 120 metres below Lake Macquarie, Chris and his team were taken via one of the mine’s man transporters to his broadcast location, two kilometres into the mine.

He also visited the coal face where crews work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to extract some of the world’s highest quality coal.

Scroll through the photo gallery below

Mine Manager John Turner tells Chris Smith there are risks associated with mining below a lake.

“At Myuna, we’ve got a lot of information, we treat that risk extremely seriously and we manage it very effectively.”

Mr Turner explains how they keep the roof from caving in and jokes about why canaries have been made redundant.

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview

High-Efficiency Low-Emissions (HELE) coal-fired power plants are being built around the world.

And there are calls for Australia to do the same.

Shaun Booth, the Resource Development Manager for Glencore Coal Assets Australia, is a HELE expert and explains to Chris and his listeners why this is the way of the futue.

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Chris Smith put together an audio package from his visit to pit bottom and to the coal face, seven kilometres into the mine.

Click PLAY below to listen to what it’s like

Chris also spoke to former Newcastle Knights players Billy Peden and Mark Sargent, who both work in the mining industry.

“The Lake Macquarie region is just a fantastic place to live,” says Billy.

“Fortunately, because of the mining industry, there’s jobs here so we can sustain a lifestyle and a family life in this area.”

Click PLAY to hear the full interview