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History

White colonisation began in the 1820s, when the Great North Road was constructed by convict labour and opened a route from Sydney to the Hunter Valley and Newcastle. Wollombi developed at a major junction in the Great North Road, with one road heading heading north-east to Maitland and the other north through Broke to Singleton. Many remnants of the Great North Road remain, in good condition, and sections of the road are still used. The village site was reserved in 1833-34, with allotments becoming available from 1838.

Although the Great North Road was quickly replaced by steamers servicing the Sydney-Newcastle route, until the early 1900s Wollombi was the administrative and economic "capital" of the region, with a far greater population than Cessnock and other towns in the area. A productive agricultural region, wheat and cereals were the major crop of the Wollombi Valley. John Dougall (a former convict overseer), settled in Wollombi as postmaster in 1838 and owned two 40-acre farms. By 1851 the population reached 105 and in 1862 it was 233.

In the early 1860s over-farming and rust destroyed the wheat industry, and was replaced by grazing. Despite this, growth continued. The first school opened in 1860, and the courthouse and police station in 1866 (well before Cessnock). By 1911 the population had reached a high of 406.

It wasn't until the early 1900s that Cessnock rapidly overtook Wollombi in size and importance, reflecting the growth of the viticulture and mining industries in the region. Wollombi's population declined to 151 in 1961, but has grown again in the last few decades. Today the Wollombi Valley still has many farms, a number of businesses that cater to the tourist trade and is home to many commuters and weekenders. The 1991 census showed 823 people in the Yango-Coolamon Planning District (incorporating Laguna, Bucketty and Wollombi).

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