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.
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.