Maitland Regional Art Gallery exhibition.
Many of the towns and cities within the greater Hunter region owe their foundations and their economies to the coal industry. From the first discovery of coal in Newcastle in 1797, it has shaped the growth of our landscape as it has shaped our
communities.
This exhibition assembles items from several important collections of archives and private material on the coal community, its people and their place. With thousands of early photographs and records, this living archive presents images, maps and artefacts that describe in captivating detail the way in which we have lived and worked in the Hunter since its very beginnings.
The great changes in work, transport, leisure and community are visually represented with text and an accompanying web archive in which all collected photographs and associated materials are available for public view and for teachers and students, educational resources have been developed for years K-10. This archive also represents the chance to become a part of this history, to participate in locating people and place, to share personal archives and to become part of the most representative history of our region.
