The area's indigenous people were Aborigines , who called the place Moogunya , meaning “coal”. This designation referred to the extensive coal deposits in the region. That is why many settlers settled there. In 1921 the place was renamed "Collinsville" in honor of the member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland Charles Collins. For many years coal mining was the main livelihood of the residents. The largest coal mine was closed in 2013, but production resumed in 2016 and the coal was shipped via Abbot Point harbor .
Energy policy
In the late 2010s, plans were published to build a new coal-fired power plant in Collinsville. The plan provides for the creation of 2000 new jobs, which will benefit the Aborigines in particular. The response to the plans is very divided. While some of the local residents and individual Aboriginal ethnic groups welcome the creation of jobs in the structurally weak area, opposing Aboriginal representatives and environmental associations demonstrate against the environmentally harmful effects of the planned facility. In the press, the dispute is sometimes referred to as coal -war.
