History
The Hunter River was discovered by European explorers in the 1790s. In June 1796 fishermen sheltering from bad weather discovered coal there, and the river was initially called Coal River. In 1797 it was formally named the Hunter, after Captain John Hunter who was Governor of the British colony in New South Wales at that time.
Between 1826 and 1836 convicts built the 264 km (164 mi) long Great North Road that links Sydney to the Hunter Region.
Major floods have occurred on the Hunter including the flood of 1955 that caused devastation to townships along the river, especially Maitland. Severe flooding again occurred in June 2007.
Read more about this topic: Hunter River (New South Wales)
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