Wilkie Creek mine is located in the Surat Basin of south-east Queensland. Mining commenced in 1994, with Peabody acquiring the operation in 2005. Current production rate is 2.35 million tonnes of low sulphur, low nitrogen, environmentally superior thermal coal. The open-cut operation utilises excavators, loaders, dozers and trucks to mine the coal. Product coal is then railed 250 kilometres to the Port of Brisbane to be exported to Japan, Taiwan and Korea for use in the power generation industry. 

Wilkie Creek hold mining lease tenements totalling 1128 hectares, operate under an approved Environmental Authority and apply industry best practice safety management procedures. Disturbed areas are subject to progressive rehabilitation and aim to create a post-mining landscape with similar or identical land-use values to those that existed in the area prior to mining. Peabody Wilkie Creek take pride in playing an active role in the region through maintaining positive relationships with neighbours, local community and indigenous groups, other stakeholders and regulatory agencies.  

Wilkie Creek Expansion Project activities will commence late 2009 and seek to convert additional areas to active mining leases.  An Environmental Impact Statement will be publically released during 2010 and serve as the initial phase of this expansion project. The final outcome of the EIS process will be the granting of an Environmental Authority, allowing operations to proceed into the new areas, increasing the life of the mine and adding further economic value and stability to the region. Exploration drilling in these expansion areas have revealed predictions of greater than 450 million tonnes of reserves.  

Peabody Energy Australia also hold a Mineral Development Licence over another thermal coal resource in the Surat Basin. The Horse Creek reserve, located North of Chinchilla , also has significant reserves. Expansion into these areas will be the subject of future feasibility studies.