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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National

Carrying coals from Newcastle's past

Coal Mark Metrikas Newcastle James Cook
A river in Far North Queensland where HMS Endeavour was repaired after damaging its hull on the Great Barrier Reef in 1770. The ship's stock of coal is the black pile behind the anchors on the beach. Picture by William Byrne, care of National Library of Australia

The expression "carrying coals to Newcastle" could be consigned to history, Mark Metrikas suggests.

The famous saying, of course, means doing a pointless or redundant task. Why would someone carry coals to Newcastle when there's already loads there? It'd be a bit like bringing sand to the Sahara or taking ice to Antarctica.

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