Coal Point is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

of the

City of Lake Macquarie The City of Lake Macquarie is a local government area (LGA) in the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city on 7 September 1984. It is adjacent to the city of Newcastle and is part of the Greater Newcastle area. ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

on a peninsula south-east of the towns of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and Carey Bay, on the western side of

Lake Macquarie The City of Lake Macquarie is a local government area (LGA) in the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city on 7 September 1984. It is adjacent to the city of Newcastle and is part of the Greater Newcastle area. The ...

History

Coal mining was performed at Ebenezer Colliery Coal Point from 1841 to around 1906. The first coal mine was operated by Reverend Lancelot Threlkeld, a missionary to the

Awabakal The Awabakal people , are those Aboriginal Australians who identify with or are descended from the Awabakal tribe and its clans, Indigenous to the coastal area of what is now known as the Hunter Region of New South Wales. Their traditional te ...

people, local entrepreneur and the first European landholder of 'Punte', the Coal Point to Toronto area. The explorer

Ludwig Leichhardt Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt (; 23 October 1813 – ), known as Ludwig Leichhardt, was a German explorer and naturalist, most famous for his exploration of northern and central Australia.Ken Eastwood,'Cold case: Leichhardt's disappearanc ...

visited the mine in 1842. A public school opened in 1955. The area has a reputation for being a high socioeconomic demographic, which relates to the initial historical subdivision of the Toronto Estate by the Excelsior Land Investment and Building Company in 1887. The creation of this estate required the resumption of the 100 ft waterfront reserve that encircled Lake Macquarie. Five reserves were created on Coal Point to compensate for the loss of public land. The Toronto Estate was marketed to the well-to-do of the time. In 1946 the Coal Point Progress Association was established to work for the betterment of the community. The founding members raised money to purchase a block of land and build Progress Hall, one of the last remaining community-owned halls in Lake Macquarie.

References

External links

History of Coal Point
(Lake Macquarie City Library)
Coal Point Progress Association
Suburbs of Lake Macquarie {{LakeMacquarie-geo-stub