Minmi is a suburb within the local government area of the City of Newcastle in New South Wales. It is situated about 19 kilometres away from Newcastle’s central business district. During the latter half of the nineteenth century, Minmi was a large coal mining centre because of the management of J & A Brown. The mines back then were connected using private railway mines. By 1861, public education began in Minmi and the first miners’ union was formed. The first posthouse and courthouse were both built in 1895. The coal strike and lockout in 1929 started the decline of the coal industry in town and by 1951 open cut mining had stopped. Currently, Minmi is a quiet, residential suburb with a population of less than 1,000.