A multimillion-dollar coal mine south of Sydney sits idle, but for nearly 500 workers life has been anything but still.

Tahmoor Colliery reported a profit of $85.7 million in 2024. By 2025 the mine was mothballed, then just a year later the company was placed into administration.

The sudden closure left employees without pay, forcing them to choose between redundancy or waiting indefinitely for a sale that may never come.

For Mark Bryant, a mechanical fitter of 20 years, the shutdown has meant pausing his mortgage and fielding calls from debt collectors, all while trying to stay strong for his six children.

“You can’t make any plans … Everything’s on hold,” he said. “I just want to go back underground.”

The fallout stretches beyond the mine. Local businesses are cutting staff, families are forced to turn to community pantries and financial stress is straining relationships.

The once-profitable operation is buried under hundreds of millions in debt, with workers owed tens of millions in entitlements.

But it’s secured creditors who are first in line to get their money back, including the NSW government, which is claiming $30 million in unpaid royalties.

As investigations into the company’s collapse continue, one question echoes through the community – how did it all unravel and who will be held accountable?

-with Brianna Parkins