| Abernethy Cessnock City Council, New South Wales |
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Remains of old Aberdare South Colliery |
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| Population: | 684 (2006 Census) | ||||||||||||
| Postcode: | 2325 | ||||||||||||
| LGA: | Cessnock City Council | ||||||||||||
| State District: | Cessnock | ||||||||||||
| Federal Division: | Hunter | ||||||||||||
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Abernethy is a small town in the City of Cessnock, in the Hunter Region in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Abernethy is located 8 kilometres south-east of the town of Cessnock, NSW and is adjacent to Werakata National Park and the Aberdare State Forest. The town was founded near a coal mine and some of the historic buildings remain (including the Abernethy Hotel which now operates as a guest house).
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The town's origins lie in the establishment of the Aberdare South Colliery which was operated by Caledonian Collieries Limited.[1] The town was laid out in 1906 and the mine commenced operation in 1913. The mine closed in 1927.[2]
Some structures of the old Colliery are still present on the site including the winder house, the chimney stack and dam.
On 19 October 2002, a large bushfire in Abernethy claimed the life of Sydney businessman Ronald Gillett, destroyed six homes and damaged many more.
A 2004 inquest found that the fire was deliberately lit "by persons unknown". A subsequent inquest reached a similar conclusion in 2008.[3] In February 2010, Police announced a $100,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the arsonist.[4]
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