Once completed, Longwall 703 will stretch 320 metres wide and about two kilometres long.

In preparation, the company has begun the longwall change-out, transporting hundreds of tonnes of machinery from one end of the mine to the other.

I must admit I felt like I was in an episode of Star Wars.

We were driving in and out of dark tunnels and would occasionally move aside to allow vehicles (which resembled moon buggies) to dart across in front of us.

We were 500 metres below the surface and it took us 30 minutes to get to the longwall from the mine entrance.

It's a totally different world down there, one you couldn't pay me enough to work in.

But there are more than 1000 workers who brave the dirty, dark conditions of our underground every day.

I guess that's why the mining debate is so controversial.

While it can damage rivers, homes and infrastructure, there are so many local workers down there who would be out of a job if we were to stop mining beneath our shire all together. Not to mention the fact that most of us use the steel from the mine's coking coal on a regular basis.

The coal produced at Appin is a vital ingredient in the steel-making process for every day items such as like fences, roofs, water tanks, cars, railway lines, fridges, stoves, washing machines and building materials.

So then how do you weigh it all up?

The irreversible damage mining causes to our rivers, the cracks in our houses and damage to infrastructure comes with thousands of jobs and steel we use all the time.

We can only hope the Government will place strong controls on the next 30 years of mining in our shire that will limit the damage but also keep the industry and all its employees afloat.

Can the Minister for Planning ensure there is no more damage to our environment and no more job losses in Wollondilly? I sure hope so.

mfenech@fairfaxmedia.com .au