mˈaɪnɪŋ æt ðə sˈaʊθ mˈeɪtlənd kˈoʊlfiːldz bɪɡˈæn æɾ ˈiːst ɡɹˈɛɾə ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti wˈʌn, ˈæftɚɹ æn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi sˈɪks ɛksploːɹˈeɪʃən baɪ sˌɜːɹ ˈɛdʒwɜːθ dˈeɪvɪd, ɐ ɡˈʌvɚnmənt dʒˌɪəlˈɑːdʒɪkəl sɚvˈeɪɚ, ʌŋkˈʌvɚd ðə pətˈɛnʃəl ʌvðə ɡɹˈɛɾə kˈoʊl sˈiːm.
Mining at the South Maitland Coalfields began at East Greta in 1891, after an 1886 exploration by Sir Edgeworth David, a government geological surveyor, uncovered the potential of the Greta coal seam.