Greta, New South Wales

Greta Cessnock,  New South Wales
Greta's historic court house
Greta
Coordinates	32°41′14″S151°23′4″E / 32.68722°S 151.38444°E / -32.68722; 151.38444
Population	2,830 (2016 census) [1] [Note 1]
• Density	486.9/km2 (1,261/sq mi) [Note 2]
Postcode(s)	2334
Elevation	70 m (230 ft) [Note 3]
Area	5.1 km2 (2.0 sq mi) [2] [Note 4]
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10)
• Summer (DST)	AEDT (UTC+11)
Location	183 km (114 mi) N of Sydney 53 km (33 mi) WNW of Newcastle 21 km (13 mi) N of Cessnock 20 km (12 mi) W of Maitland 27 km (17 mi) ESE of Singleton
LGA(s)	City of Cessnock [3] City of Maitland [4]
Region	Hunter [3] [4]
County	Northumberland [5]
Parish	Branxton [5]
State electorate(s)	Cessnock [6]
Federal division(s)	Hunter [7]
Localities around Greta: Branxton, East Branxton Leconfield Luskintyre North Rothbury Greta Oswald, Harpers Hill Rothbury Allandale, Rothbury Allandale

Greta is a small town in the Parish of Branxton, Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. ^{[3] [4] [8]}

History

The traditional owners and custodians of the Maitland area are the Wonnarua people. ^[9] The Greta area was first colonised by Europeans around Anvil Creek in the 1830s. ^[10]

When the town was surveyed in 1842 it was given the name Greta, possibly after a small river in Cumberland, England. Coal mining was established in the area in 1862 with the development of a railway station. ^[10]

In 1864, kerosene shale was discovered. By the 1870s, Greta had four hotels, four churches, a school and schools of arts. Geologist Edgeworth David discovered the Greta Coal Seam in 1886. By 1907, ten collieries were in operation. ^[10] The Whitburn Rail line which extended off the Hunter line 400 meter to the west of the Greta Railway station connected to the Greta Colliery, Leconfield Colliery and Whitburn Colliery. The line was Closed on the 3rd of October 1957 when the Leconfield Colliery shut down. ^{[11] [12]}

At the 2016 census, the town had a population of 2,830. ^[13] Greta's population increased to 3,349 at the 2021 census. ^[14]

Vehicle crash

Main article: Hunter Valley bus crash

In June 2023, a roundabout on Wine Country Drive in Greta was the site of a bus crash that killed 10 people. ^[15] A memorial was built on the junction between the A43 and New England Highway.

Greta Army Camp

Main article: Greta Army Camp

The Greta Army Camp, located on the town's outskirts, was opened in 1939 as a training ground for World War II soldier training, and in 1949 was transferred to the Department of Immigration who transformed it into one of Australia's largest migrant reception and training centres between June 1949 and January 1960 as part of the post-war immigration to Australia. Over 100,000 new migrants seeking a new life in Australia passed through Greta Camp throughout its 11-years in operation. ^[16] The location is now under private property and there are few remains of the camp on the property ^[17]

Transport

Greta is located on the New England Highway, approximately 183 km (114 mi) north of Sydney. Access to Sydney will be possible via the Hunter Expressway. NSW TrainLink's Hunter Line passes through Greta railway station, which opened in 1869. ^[18]

Hunter Valley Buses operates three bus routes through the village of Greta:

• 179: Stockland Greenhills to North Rothbury via East Maitland, Maitland, Rutherford, Lochinvar, Branxton ^[19]
• 180: Stockland Greenhills to Singleton Heights via East Maitland, Maitland, Rutherford, Lochinvar, Branxton and Singleton ^[20]
• 180X: Maitland station to Singleton station via Lochinvar and Branxton ^[21]

Heritage listings

Greta has the Greta railway station. ^[22]

Images of Greta

• 
  Greta war memorial cenotaph
• 
  Greta rest area shelter
• 
  The welcoming sign to Greta's Hunter River catchment area
• 
  A child's litter prevention sign. These signs were commissioned by Greta Tidy Towns to help children understand the importance of maintaining a tidy town

Notes

1. ABS QuickStats only provides population data for the town of Greta, not the entire suburb.
2. This is the average density of the actual town, based on figures provided by the ABS.
3. Average elevation of the suburb as shown on 1:100000 map 9132 Cessnock.
4. This is the area of the town, not the entire suburb.

References

1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Greta (NSW) (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "2011 Community Profiles: Greta (NSW) (State Suburb)". 2011 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
3. "Suburb Search – Local Council Boundaries – Hunter (HT) – Cessnock City Council". New South Wales Division of Local Government. Archived from the original on 22 May 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
4. "Suburb Search – Local Council Boundaries – Hunter (HT) – Maitland City Council". New South Wales Division of Local Government. Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
5. "Greta (suburb)". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales . Retrieved 25 September 2012.
6. "Cessnock". New South Wales Electoral Commission . Retrieved 23 November 2019.
7. "Hunter". Australian Electoral Commission. 26 July 2012. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
8. "Greta". Land and Property Management Authority - Spatial Information eXchange. New South Wales Land and Property Information . Retrieved 25 September 2012.
9. "Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Peoples". Maitland City Council. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
10. "Greta, NSW". Aussie Towns. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
11. "Whitburn Colliery Branch". www.nswrail.net. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
12. New South Wales Government, New South Wales Pre-Federation Legislation (1889). "An Act to enable a Company called the "Greta Coal Company (Limited)" to construct a Railway from the Leconfield Coal-mine to the Great Northern Railway; also a Branch Line in connection therewith". Legislation.nsw.gov.au.
13. "Greta (NSW) 2016 Census". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
14. "Greta (NSW) 2021 Census". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
15. Roberts, Millie; Stephens, Romy; Wakatama, Giselle (12 June 2023). "Ten people die in Hunter Valley bus crash, 25 others taken to hospital". Australia: ABC News. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
16. Newcastle City Council. "New Lives, New Australians – Snapshots of Greta Migrant Camp, 1949 – 1960". Local Government & Shires Associations of NSW. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
17. "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
18. "Main North Line". NSWrail.net. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
19. "| transportnsw.info". transportnsw.info. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
20. "| transportnsw.info". transportnsw.info. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
21. "| transportnsw.info". transportnsw.info. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
22. "Greta Railway Station group". New South Wales State Heritage Register . Department of Planning & Environment. H01156. Retrieved 18 May 2018. Text is licensed by State of New South Wales (Department of Planning and Environment) under CC BY 4.0 licence .

External links

• "Greta". Australian Explorer. Retrieved 25 September 2012.