It was previously believed the coal mines were the first in Australia, but further research indicated they were mined before those in South Africa and South America.

"The significance of the convict coal mines to Newcastle and the Hunter region is

well-established and this research highlights the importance of this site,” said Coal River Working Party chair Dr Erik Eklund.

The Coal River Working Party is currently completing an investigation to establish the actual location of the first coal mines under Fort Scratchley using University of Newcastle expertise in history, engineering and geology.

The project is supported by commercial partners Coffey Geosciences and Monteath and Powys, as well as grant from the Newcastle City Council.

"The coal mines can be seen as indicative of one of the earliest tentative steps to industrialise outside of Europe and North America. The development of Newcastle's mines in 1804 was well ahead of anyone else in our part of the globe," said Eklund.

"The first South African coal mines were not worked until the late 1830s in Natal province, and only in a systematic way from 1889. We have found no evidence of systematic commercial mining in South America until the twentieth century."