Cessnock is a city in the Hunter Region of New
South Wales, Australia, about 52 km (32 mi) by
road west of Newcastle. Cessnock is the
administrative centre of the City of Cessnock LGA
and was named after an 1826 grant of land called
Cessnock Estate, which was owned by John
Campbell. The local area was once known as "The
Coalfields", and Cessnock is the gateway city to the
vineyards of the Hunter Valley, which includes
Pokolbin, Mount View, Lovedale, Broke, Rothbury,
and Branxton.

The decline of mining on the South Maitland
Coalfields has been paralleled by growth in the
wine industry and better access to other
employment centres.