Seaham, New South Wales

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Seaham is a village in New South Wales, Australia in Port Stephens Council.

Situated in the Hunter Valley, the village is located on the Williams River which flows into the Hunter River some 10km downstream from Seaham. Seaham is about a two and a half hours drive from the state capital of Sydney and a half hour drive from Newcastle,

It is rural community supporting a small but expanding population. While relatively compact and composed of only a handful of streets, Greater Seaham covers a very broad area and incorporates East Seaham, Brandy Hill, Eagleton and Eskdale Estate.

[edit] History

Settled during 1822, the village boomed during the 1850's from growing river trade and by 1920 supported a hotel, School of Arts, public school, and three churches. It also offered running water to its moderate population. The town became recognized during the 1890's for its excellence in winemaking, the local vineyard, "Porphyry" sweeping up medals and awards in not only Australia but also in Europe.

In the January of 1939 a disastrous bushfire swept through Seaham and reduced much of the town to rubble. Business, trade and everyday life in the town came to a halt and subsequently the town fell into a downward spiral. Much of the population left during the 1940's and by 1960 the school served less than 10 students.

The town received a second boom during the 1980's with the development of the Brandy Hill residential estate, which injected new life into the town, bringing families from abroad back to the rural village and saving the school from imminent closure.