The Dawson West Project was a proposed coal mining development located approximately 20km west of the town of Theodore and about 80km south-east of Rolleston in central Queensland. The project was situated near the boundary of the Bowen and Surat basins, two of Australia’s major coal-bearing geological regions.

Exploration at the site identified a substantial coal resource, with estimates indicating around 852 million tonnes of coal within the project area. The deposit contains high-volatile bituminous thermal coal suitable for power generation, with characteristics such as high calorific value and relatively low sulphur content.

Development plans proposed a surface mining operation using open-cut methods, with a potential production capacity of about 1.3 million tonnes of coal per year. Infrastructure would likely have included coal handling facilities and transport connections linking the project to Queensland’s established rail and export port networks.

Despite early exploration drilling and resource studies, the project did not proceed to construction and is now regarded as a cancelled coal mine proposal. The Dawson West deposit remains an undeveloped coal resource within the broader Dawson River coal district.