Muswellbrook ( ) is a town in the Upper Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle. Geologically, Muswellbrook is situated in the northern parts of the Sydney basin, bordering the New England region. The area is predominantly known for coal mining and horse breeding, but has also developed a reputation for gourmet food and wine production. As at June 2018 Muswellbrook has a population of 12,364. Located to the south of the Muswellbrook township are two coal fuelled power stations, Liddell and Bayswater. They were commissioned in 1973 and mid 1980s respectively and employ approximately 500 people from the area. History Before European settlement of the region the Wonnarua and Gamilaroi peoples occupied the land. The first European to explore the area was Chief Constable John Howe in 1819, with the first white settlement occurring in the 1820s. The township of Muswellbrook was gazetted on 23 October 1833. To the south, "Forbestown" was established by the sons of Francis Forbes in 1842; the name was changed in 1848 to "South Muswellbrook" to prevent confusion with the town of Forbes. Heritage listings Muswellbrook has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: 7 Bridge Street: Muswellbrook Post Office 132 Bridge Street: Weidmann Cottage 142-144 Bridge Street: Loxton House 178, 180-188 Bridge Street: Eatons Group 710 Denman Road: Edinglassie Denman Road: Rous Lench Hunter Terrace: St Alban's Anglican Church Main Northern railway: Muswellbrook railway station Etymology "Mussel Creek" (now called "Muscle Creek") was first named by a party of surveyors who found mussels in the small stream while camping along its banks in the early 19th century. The present spelling of Muswellbrook has a disputed etymology. Historians largely subscribe to one of two theories: that the name derives from the Muswell Hill area of London (England), due to the influence of Sir Francis Forbes whose wife, Amelia, was born and schooled in that town; or that the name is a gradual corruption of the original gazetted name "Musclebrook", eventually adopted as the official spelling due to common use. Population According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 12,075 people in Muswellbrook. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 9.3% of the population. 84.9% of people were born in Australia. The most common countries of birth were New Zealand 1.4%, England 1.2% and Philippines 0.9%. 87.7% of people only spoke English at home. The most