Julie Keating's Newcastle's Early History Series

This series of books on Newcastle in the 1800s covers the development of Newcastle and the emergence of some of the surrounding suburbs. Their development came about due to the need to find new coal sources and to provide residential land and services for the miners.  The books contain photos, mainly by Ralph Snowball, and newspaper accounts of the day. The story of the penal settlement to coalopolis is extensively illustrated by sketches obtained from various newspapers such as the Illustrated Sydney News and  Australasian Sketcher