Day 20 Newcastle to Pokolmin via Cessnock and Kerri Kerri

Stockton Beach is home for 5 nights. The weather is quite good, the caravan park is grassed sites, the coal transports pass by our door and give a loud toot when they leave the harbour.

Newcastle was always the city known for coal mining. One of those school lessons we remembered  from 50 odd years ago.  But it was also the home to many of our family.

My Buchanan grandfather worked here, my 2nd great grandmother died here in 1879 her children lived here, and until proven that they are not related, there was a family of McConnell's who ran a pub here. It is highly likely that my second great grandmother Margaret was part of the family, because her daughter was living in the same street when she married, under the approval of a guardian.

Some mysteries still to be researched.

John's second great grandparents, Isabella Warwick and Captain George Phillips lived here, Isabella was buried at the Waratah Cemetery.  It is no more, sold for a block of public housing units.



If you have a look at a map of Newcastle, it consists of finger peninsulars.  Were they caused by an earthquake  in days long past. If you joined all the different  waterways together there would be a solid land mass. Is this why coal was formed?

Coal is formed from accumulated vegetable matter that has been altered by decay and by various amounts of heat and pressure over millions of years. The progressive transformation of coal is referred to as coalification. Interlayered with other sedimentary rocks, it forms beds ranging from less than a millimetre to many metres thick. 

Such a bed, or several beds separated by thin layers of shale, siltstone or sandstone (dirt bands or partings), constitute a coal seam. Major coal deposits have been formed in nearly every geological age since the Carboniferous (350-250 million years ago). The considerable diversity of coal type (organic composition), grade (mineral matter content) and rank (degree of coalification) depends on the differences in the mode of formation. Coal is widely distributed in the world being located on every continent and in over 70 countries. In Australia coal occurs in all States and the Northern Territory.

Well a bit before our time!

The Hunter River estuary has provided a harbour for ships collecting locally mined coal since 1798. Ships visiting the port of Newcastle dumped ballast at Bullock Island creating a Dyke where cranes were set up in 1878 to load the coal, where it is loaded still. 

Dredged river mud connected the island to the mainland, leaving only lower Throsby Creek and a Basin for the ships. The former island was renamed Carrington and was soon built over with rails, workyards and houses. Broken Hill Pty Co opened Australia's first steelworks near the northern end in 1915


So you have massive coal operations, surrounded by established homes. The port is adjacent to Stockton.  This area once housed a coal mine where many men died in 1896 at the Great Stockton Coal Disaster.  Memorial gates have been erected in a park near the entrance to the esplanade.

The esplanade reminds me of Sandgate 30 years ago. Lots of old houses, slowly being demolished and new beachside homes erected.

Many ships were wrecked on this coastline, the story is in the vicinity of 200.  One is visible.

We drove to the Hunter Valley Wine Region, and visited some cellar doors.  It would have to be 20 or more years since our last visit. It seems now to cater for a younger clientele, and day tourists.  Our pick was Pokolmin Village.  Great atmosphere and beautiful  gardens under Pepperina and magnolia trees.

We visited Pepper Tree Winery.  Thought about lunch until it was a 3 hour affair.  A recommendation would  be to stay somewhere local, book a tour, and enjoy a couple of days here.  Not a few hours.
Any wonder my daughter-in-law chose it for her 40th!

Pepper Tree Winery

The shops are unusual, and remind me of Montville in Queensland.

On the way back we drove through Rothbury, where there was a riot in 1929.  One killed by the local police, and others injured.