The Latest Breaking News from Muswellbrook

It was the late 1960s and Margaret Hogan's unassuming Muswellbrook home had become a revolving door of far-flung languages, exotic flavours and worldly music.

Ewan Harper, 66, was last seen at about 6.30pm on April 4 at Muswellbrook Hospital.

The man was taken to John Hunter Hospital in a serious condition but has since recovered from his injuries.

Police have charged a woman who allegedly stole a key card from a home in Muswellbrook before using it at a service station in Wellington.

The Liddell Power Station in Muswellbrook in the Hunter region will close this month, after owner AGL delayed its planned closure by a year.

The Plains Clan of the Wonnarua People has asked the Federal Government to prevent mining in an area on the outskirts of Muswellbrook

The Greater Hunter including Cessnock, Dungog, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Muswellbrook, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Singleton and the Upper Hunter has been placed under an extreme fire rating.

Environmental advocacy groups are ramping up pressure on federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to reject the Mt Pleasant mine expansion near Muswellbrook.

The mayors of Singleton and Muswellbrook have called on candidates in the seat of Upper Hunter to commit to the continuation of the Resources for Regions program.

A 750 hectare parcel of land between Muswellbrook and Singleton, which is believed to have been the site of some of Australia's bloodiest frontier violence, appears to have been saved from a massive mining expansion project.

The decline of the coal industry means 17 mines in the New South Wales Hunter Valley will close over the next two decades. More than 130,000 hectares of mining land — nearly two-thirds of the valley floor between Broke and Muswellbrook — will become available for new uses.