Wambo is one of Peabody's largest operating mines and is located in the Hunter Valley, about 30 kilometres from Singleton. Mining commenced in 1969. Wambo produces around five million tonnes (5.5 million tons) of saleable thermal coal a year.

The modern, productive open cut mine is operated under contract by Downer Edi Mining using truck and shovel fleets. Coal is mined from nine plies within four coal seam groups: Whybrow, Redbank Creek, Wambo and Whynot – with an overburden ratio of around 7:1 bank cubic metres per tonne of run-of-mine coal. The North Wambo Underground Mine commenced development in November 2005 with longwall mining starting in October 2007. The mine extracts the two metre thick Wambo seam with a longwall face width of 250 metres and panel length of 3600 metres.

Coal is railed 85 kilometres to the Port of Newcastle for export. The quality and consistency of Wambo's coal has enabled it to gain wide market acceptance among the major Japanese power utilities for more than 30 years. Wambo produces predominantly low ash thermal coal and semi-soft coking coal.

Wambo's mining leases cover an area of more than 5300 hectares and contain 202 million tonnes (222 million tons) of recoverable coal in the Whybrow, Wambo, Redbank Creek, Whynot, Arrowfield and Bowfield seams.

Peabody acquired the mine in October 2006 through the acquisition of Excel Coal.

Wambo thermal coal specifications