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Suburb of Greater Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Fassifern
is a
suburb
of the
City of Lake Macquarie
,
Greater Newcastle
in
New South Wales
,
Australia
, located west of
Lake Macquarie
.
The
Sydney?Newcastle railway line
runs through
Fassifern railway station
, which is a major station along the line. There used to be a branch line between Fassifern Station and nearby
Toronto
, but this has been replaced by a bus service, aptly named "The Train".
History
[
edit
]
The Aboriginal people, in this area, the
Awabakal
, were the first people of this land.
[2]
Fassifern was first developed as a result of sawmill and coal mining operations in the area. The railway station opened in 1887. The first school, Fassifern Public School, was opened in 1922.
From the late 19th century the Northumberland Coal Company operated the Northumberland Colliery, within walking distance from the railway station and to where a rail spur extended. This company operated several subsidiary coal companies. Further up the main line they had another colliery, Olstan, now long closed. In 1950 Northumberland Colliery was renamed Newstan Colliery and leased out to the NSW Electricity Commission, and operated until 2014. The mine is being investigated for a
pumped-storage hydroelectricity
project.
[3]
The collieries were named after Mr Stanley Croft, an early proprietor and manager of the coal company. The mine was a source for some of the local jobs in Fassifern and the surrounding suburbs.
Recently Charlton Christian College (the name was changed from Lake Macquarie Christian College, reportedly to avoid confusion from
Macquarie College
) was established.
Location
[
edit
]
Fassifern is located on the western side of
Lake Macquarie
in Fennell Bay, a small bay with
mangrove
and
she-oak
trees on its shores. Some
petrified wood
exists in a part of the bay, which is said to be the remains of a petrified forest (many pieces of the wood have been taken).
Fassifern also contains vast amounts of native bushland to the north and west.
Education
[
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]
References
[
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]
External links
[
edit
]
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Other places &
points of interest
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