The double community Cessnock-Bellbird has 20,013 inhabitants. The town was named after Cessnock Castle in Ayreshire , Scotland by an early settler.
After the first coal mine opened in 1891, the location of the largest coal deposit in New South Wales determined the fortunes of the city for a long time in the 20th century. After the decline in the 1960s, the city switched to tourism and the wine industry. The lower Hunter Valley near Cessnock is the oldest (since 1866) wine-growing region in Australia and is currently home to around 40 wineries, most of which are open to visitors.