From the Maitland Mercury report:
Kurri Kurri historian Brian Andrews is undertaking the mammoth task of listing every coal mine to operate in the state, starting with the first coal mine in Newcastle in 1804.
Enlisted by Coal Services Pty Ltd, formerly the Joint Coal Board, Mr Andrews has so far identified 1609 mines covering the coal rich Hunter, Illawarra, and a spattering in Gunnedah and the Clarence valley.
Full article by Briony Snedden available at: Maitland Mercury, 16 Aug, 2010.