At the heart of the town from its foundation in 1912 until closure in 1964 was J & A Brown & Abermain Seaham Collieries mine, the Abermain No.2 Colliery, the first mechanised pit in the Cessnock coalfield. Coal was shipped out via the South Maitland Railways.
Population
According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 861 people living in Kearsley.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 9.1% of the population.
89.8% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 0.7%, New Zealand 0.7% and Germany 0.5%.
93.5% of people spoke only English at home.
The most common responses for religion were No Religion 30.0%, Anglican 28.6% and Catholic 15.4%.[1]
Notable people
Maree Callaghan, first female mayor of the City of Cessnock
Arthur Francis CSC OAM, former Regimental Sergeant Major of the Australian Army
Oscar Hillery MM, World War I hero and recipient of the Military Medal
George Jeffery MM, World War I hero and recipient of the Military Medal
