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After six long weeks of campaigning, the Nationals appear on track to retain the Upper Hunter seat they've held for 90 years in a crucial byelection that threatened the Berejiklian government's majority in NSW.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian joined the campaign trail in an eleventh hour bid to save the seat.

The Berejiklian government's majority became precarious after former Nationals MP Michael Johnsen quit parliament following serious sexual misconduct allegations.

The Labor Party pinned its hopes on former coal miner and union boss Jeff Drayton, but it wasn't enough.

Meanwhile, NSW Nationals Leader John Barilaro declared "the Nats are back", thanking former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in jest for his decision to back independent candidate Kirsty O'Connell.