NSWMining
Newcastle
Coal explains the city at the river mouth.
1804Penal settlement re-established after an earlier attempt
WHAT STARTED IT
The British established a penal settlement to exploit coal near the Hunter’s mouth. Convicts also cut cedar and burnt lime, making the harbour both a place of punishment and a source of materials for Sydney.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
Commercial coal mining, shipping and later steelmaking transformed the penal outpost into an industrial city. The end of steel production at the BHP works did not end the city’s broader role.
TURNING POINTS
1800sCoal mining and shipping expand.
1804The penal settlement is re-established.
1831The Australian Agricultural Company opens its pit, horse railway and coal staiths on 10 December; coal runs 330 yards and is shot straight into ships’ holds.
1999The BHP steelworks closes.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A major Hunter regional centre with a coal-export port, health and education services, businesses and a growing cultural economy. The port still makes its original geography economically important.