The kids looked a lot healthier back in those day. No iPads no computer games. We had to make our own fun. Running around exploring the bush playing sports. Thanks for posting.

As always, thanks for preserving this history. It matters.

The mine featured at the beginning was Hebburn No.2 colliery. It was located on the northern foothill of Tumblebee (Mount Tomalpin) which you can see in the background. It was also the only pit in the region to have a circular concrete smokestack. It was one of the only things left standing to this day and can be seen from Neath hill.

Thank you so so very much NFSA for this. I was born and raised in Sydney's NTH Shore and currently live in Newcastle for the last 7 odd years. The last 18 months a friend moved to Abermain and I go into Cessnock at times when visiting her for sometime. No more mine heads to be seen now. History Would you have any video of the train line from Maitland to Cessnock. There is quite a few abandoned stations and track remaining and Weston, Abermain and Neath are the most noteworthy I have seen so far. Ironic, as this region has been growing lots in the last 15 odd years, more so since the Hunter motorway was built and there was a great railway for both coal and passengers shut down ages ago..(Newcastle and its region has had to reinvent itself since BHP closed down. For instance, When I was living on Nth Shore I had 4 days work in Newcastle in 2000. Walked along Hunter st and it was a ghost town. Now completely different, I now have to keep an eye out for trams on Hunter St),

I love seeing the simpler way of life and the enthusiasm/optimism of these documentaries. Thank you.

I like Cessnock alot. The main street isn't what it used to be, but it's still good.

I love looking at all the cars and trucks from the era

I am now greatly relieved,after hearing that Cessnocks industrial future is assured.

I was blown away when the guy said the travel time to Newcastle was less than an hour in 1965. It's still almost 50 minutes, and that's with part of the trip via a big new expressway!

I can smell the ghosts of time because I had lots and lots and lots of family members relatives that lived in these surrounding areas in these times and many of THEM were All working class and they were just starting out their own lives and I use to love visiting THEM as a child I wish THAT I could go back for there's PEOPLE that I generally do Miss 💯 percent 👍😥

Good old Cessnock where i was born.

I noticed the Union Jack flying next to the Aussie Flag in the film clip. How times have changed! Nowadays the First Nation Flags fly next to our National Flag. Proud to be an Aussie!

I used to live in Paxton. Not sure why this came up in my feed? But a welcomed surprise

Wow this was awesome...Done my Debut in that Town Hall in the 90s oh and Im still here !!!

I love my home town of Cessnock!

Thanks Guys you do a great job

Interesting look at how much has changed since this was taken

Extraordinary, the idea of providing 80 acres of land at zero charge. Brilliant

Awesome 👏 video as always!!!

No step backwards. Well they meant well.

❤❤❤

Just looked up Cessnock on Google maps, they even have a Woolies and a Bunnings now! wow nice. Current population around 65,000, So a total growth of around population growth of about 525 people a year since 1965.

We had cousins in Weston and we always swan at that pool. My father lived his last years in Kurri and I cared for him. Nothing much in Kurri.

"Few places can offer a wider range of sporting facilities than Cessnock..." And then they show footage of the Kurri Kurri Weston swimming baths. Very odd, because Cessnock had, and still has, a full size swimming pool and toddlers pool, pretty much the same as the one in Kurri. Maybe the one in Cessnock was looking daggy at the time (I think it was older than the one in Kurri), but you think they could have avoided filming the sign over the front which clearly says "Kurri Kurri - Weston Olympic Pool" And, having grown up in Cessnock, I know that there was always strong rivalry between Cessnock and Kurri, so I'm sure the Kurri people weren't amused at having their pool attributed to Cessnock. The footage of all the women sewing was from the Bonds factory. It closed some time in the early 2000s.

Back then, they did not realise that our manufacturing would close down and China would become the factory of the world. Hence today they are mining more coal than ever in the hunter valley and sending it to places like China. This has made Newcastle the largest coal port in the world.

Cessnock looks like it's surviving today, I wouldn't say the same about Kurri Kurri

The main street doesn't look like that these days, It's dead I

Let’s make Cessnock a “Go Town”

Welcome to black lung. Life expectancy, about twenty years off the median average.

Coal is still Australia's future...

Now in the Hunter Valley the council attack a pub with the Australian Flag painted on a roof. #ClownWorld

Cessnock is nice, but Chillingbourne is better!!

I lived there once. Spent 9 years there. What a dive. I called it cesspit. Due to the Ferals living there. Glad I got out.

Then they built a jail there and the town went downhill

The coal fields lol