Friends of National Trust Newcastle/Hunter Valley

Friends of National Trust Newcastle/Hunter Valley We raise community awareness and are a voice for endangered heritage. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.

Friends of Newcastle & Hunter Valley National Trust is a volunteer group whose aim is to celebrate and educate the importance of preserving our regionโ€™s historic buildings and places. The Friends of the National Trust Newcastle/Hunter Valley acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Worimi, Wonnarua and Geawegal.

Meet the locals who won in this yearโ€™s National Trust Heritage Awards ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘ Congratulations to all the winners!๐˜๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐  ๐€๐œ๐ก๐ข๐ž๐ฏ...
10/06/2026

Meet the locals who won in this yearโ€™s National Trust Heritage Awards ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘ Congratulations to all the winners!

๐˜๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐  ๐€๐œ๐ก๐ข๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐€๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐
๐Ÿ‘ Erica Wright
Erica won the award for her work on the Treasures of Cintra House project. Cintra is a sprawling 31-room Victorian Italianate property in Maitland. Watch the Cintra short movie and see Erica talk about her internship with the University of Newcastle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5jvly_tF4I
Movie by Stories Of Our Town.

๐‡๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ ๐ž ๐’๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐€๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐
๐Ÿ‘ Gary Cooper
Heritage Plasterer at Imperial Preservation. Newcastle based heritage tradesman dedicated to repairing and preserving our heritage buildings.
Watch Gary bringing a piece of history back to life https://youtu.be/gFsM-iToLVw
Video by Our Past.
Imperial Preservation: www.imperialpreservation.com.au

๐„๐ฑ๐ก๐ข๐›๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐€๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐
Model Newcastle: Big Stories, Little Things
๐Ÿ‘ Newcastle Museum
Almost 80,000 visitors attended Model Newcastle which explores the city's history, creativity, and community through intricate miniatures and models.

๐Ÿ“ธ Images:
Left National Trust NSW, Right Stories Of Our Town
Left National Trust NSW, Our Past
Left National Trust NSW, Newcastle Museum

02/06/2026

We love seeing heritage buildings brought back to lifeโ€”and this one has truly come full circle.

A shoutout to the owners of the Cross Keys Hotel for the care and effort theyโ€™ve put into bringing the pub back. Itโ€™s great to see some historic details return, including:
- The wrap-around awning
- Maitland Road entrance and steps
- Corner windows
- The exterior Cross Keys Hotel signage on both Maitland Road and Elizabeth Street.

Such a great example of bringing heritage back to life - honouring its history while giving it new life. Well done ๐Ÿ‘

๐Ÿ“Cross Keys Hotel 1A Elizabeth St, Tighes Hill

๐Ÿ“ธ 1 National Library Australia. 2. Architectural Drawings from Powerhouse 3. 2017 RealCommercial 4. Google. All other images National Trust Newcastle/Hunter Valley branch.

๐…๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐š๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ž๐ซ ๐–๐ข๐œ๐ค๐ก๐š๐ฆ ๐’๐œ๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฅ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐€๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐›๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ž๐ง๐œ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐š๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ . It is great to see this 144-year-...
31/05/2026

๐…๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐š๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ž๐ซ ๐–๐ข๐œ๐ค๐ก๐š๐ฆ ๐’๐œ๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฅ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐€๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐›๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ž๐ง๐œ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐š๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ . It is great to see this 144-year-old locally heritage-listed landmark retained and adaptively reused as part of the Newcastle Quay development.

๐€๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ ๐๐ž๐ญ๐š๐ข๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ž๐ฆ๐ž๐ซ๐ ๐ž, we urge planners to view this site not just as a single building, but as the last remaining anchor of this now vanished Hannell Street section.

We would like to see the building's ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐จ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ ๐›๐š๐ฅ๐œ๐จ๐ง๐ฒ ๐ซ๐ž๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐, the Hannell Street ๐ฌ๐š๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐ž ๐ค๐ž๐ซ๐›๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ซ๐ž๐ญ๐š๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ and integrated into the plaza, and ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ ๐ž ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ž๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐š๐ ๐ž included to tell this part of Wickham's story.

Retaining these elements helps to ensure the development honors the history of the disappearing Hannell Street precinct.

๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐›๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ๐ž๐ฅ๐Ÿ ๐›๐ž ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž๐ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ?
From the plans itโ€™s described as a Wickham School of Arts anchored plaza. Becoming a restaurant and bar venue integrated into the precinctโ€™s hotel and conference centre complex.

More development info:
https://www.hdc.nsw.gov.au/projects/honeysuckle/honeysuckle-hq

๐Ÿ“ท
1. Upper image National Trust Newcastle/Hunter Valley Branch. Lower Image: Newcastle Quay. Artist's concept render, subject to approvals. Image: DOMA Group.
2. Upper image: GoogleMaps/Lower image: Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation
3. Greg and Sylvia Rayโ€™s Norm and Daphne Barney Collection. Date unknown.
4. NSW Government.

โœจ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ ๐ฒ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ฌ ๐š๐ ๐จ ๐ญ๐จ๐๐š๐ฒ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐’๐ญ๐š๐ซ ๐‡๐จ๐ญ๐ž๐ฅ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ž๐ง๐ž๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐Š๐ข๐ง๐  ๐’๐ญ๐ซ๐ž๐ž๐ญ.Founded by the Cameron family, who owned, rebuilt and expande...
14/05/2026

โœจ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ ๐ฒ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ฌ ๐š๐ ๐จ ๐ญ๐จ๐๐š๐ฒ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐’๐ญ๐š๐ซ ๐‡๐จ๐ญ๐ž๐ฅ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ž๐ง๐ž๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐Š๐ข๐ง๐  ๐’๐ญ๐ซ๐ž๐ž๐ญ.

Founded by the Cameron family, who owned, rebuilt and expanded the Star over 80 years, the hotel grew from its original Hunter Street site through to King Street across three generations.

It became far more than just a pub โ€” standing as a landmark of Newcastleโ€™s working-class culture, live music scene, the 1979 riot, and the cityโ€™s LGBTQIA+ community and history.

๐ŸŽ‰ ๐‘๐ž๐œ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ž๐ซ ๐’๐ญ๐š๐ซ ๐‡๐จ๐ญ๐ž๐ฅ ๐Š๐ข๐ง๐  ๐’๐ญ (๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ž๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐žโ€™๐ฌ ๐๐š๐ซ) ๐ก๐š๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐ข๐œ๐ข๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐›๐ž๐ž๐ง ๐š๐๐๐ž๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐๐’๐– ๐’๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž ๐‡๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ ๐ž ๐‘๐ž๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ.

We supported the communityโ€™s call to protect the Star by commenting on the Notice of Intention to List more than a year ago.

๐Ÿ‘ Thank you to everyone who fought to preserve the stories and legacy of this important Newcastle site for future generations.

๐Ÿจ ๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ž๐ฌ ๐›๐ž๐ข๐ง๐  ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐’๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž ๐‡๐ž๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ ๐ž ๐‘๐ž๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฆ๐ž๐š๐ง?
A building listed on the State Heritage Register is officially recognised as having special historical, cultural, or architectural importance to New South Wales. This means the building is legally protected, and any major changes or demolition usually require heritage approval.

๐Ÿ“Former Star Hotel (now Bernieโ€™s Bar) 410 King Street, Newcastle.

๐Ÿ“ธ Images: Top ANU, Lower National Trust Branch Newcastle/Hunter Valley

UPDATE: TOUR IS NOW SOLD OUT. Nihon University Open Day returns with two exclusive guided tours through the beautifully ...
11/05/2026

UPDATE: TOUR IS NOW SOLD OUT.

Nihon University Open Day returns with two exclusive guided tours through the beautifully restored former ๐๐ž๐ฐ๐œ๐š๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ž ๐‚๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ญ ๐‡๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž.

Now home to the ๐๐ข๐ก๐จ๐ง ๐”๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ Newcastle Campus, this grand 134 year old State heritage listed building has undergone an extraordinary adaptive reuse transformation and must be seen in person to truly appreciate its scale, detail and history.

Guests will enjoy:
โ€ข Historical insights into the Court House and its role in Newcastleโ€™s past
โ€ข Stories from the restoration including challenges
โ€ข Rare behind the scenes access to areas including the original holding cells

Tour numbers are strictly limited to 20 people per session.
๐Ÿ“… Friday, 22 May 2026
๐Ÿ•™ Tour 1: 10amโ€“11:30am
๐Ÿ• Tour 2: 1pmโ€“2:30pm
๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ Entry is free, however pre-registration is essential:
https://www.nihon-u.ac.jp/en/newcastlecampus/news/

๐Ÿ“ 9 Church Street, Newcastle
๐Ÿ“ท National Trust Newcastle & Hunter Branch

Two local projects. One big achievement.Both have been shortlisted for this yearโ€™s National Trust NSW Heritage Awards โ€” ...
30/04/2026

Two local projects. One big achievement.

Both have been shortlisted for this yearโ€™s National Trust NSW Heritage Awards โ€” congratulations to everyone involved! ๐Ÿ‘

Winners announced Friday 15 May. Good luck to all finalists.

๐ŸŒŸ Model Newcastle
Entered by Newcastle Museum
Category: Events, Exhibitions and Tours

๐ŸŒŸ Operation Seagull
Entered by Our Past
Category: Education and Interpretation
Watch the video: https://youtu.be/9z7tImdQ5sk?si=JBUWhKa3qJOK4KGo

You can find all the shortlisted projects here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/news/2026-national-trust-nsw-heritage-awards-finalists-revealed/

๐Ÿ“ท Top images Newcastle Museum. Lower Image Our Past.

Step into Newcastleโ€™s rich history and uncover the stories of the remarkable women who helped shape the city โœจThis free,...
29/04/2026

Step into Newcastleโ€™s rich history and uncover the stories of the remarkable women who helped shape the city โœจ

This free, self-guided walking tour invites you to explore key sites across Newcastle where acclaimed local women lived, worked, wrote, and created.

Starting at the Newcastle Beach Light Rail Station, you can take the tour at your own pace. Part of the Australian Heritage Festival, on now until May 17.

๐Ÿ“ Self-guided | ๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ Free | ๐Ÿ“… Until May 17
More info: https://australianheritagefestival.org.au/event/34956573-a/significant-women-of-newcastle-city

Step inside the beautiful grounds of the 195-year-old, state-heritage-listed Tanilba House. Enjoy a guided walk through ...
14/04/2026

Step inside the beautiful grounds of the 195-year-old, state-heritage-listed Tanilba House. Enjoy a guided walk through its historic gardens, admire its unique architecture and convict-built walls, and see one of Australiaโ€™s oldest living olive trees ๐ŸŒฟ Its part of a tour capturing the stories, places, and landscapes from across the districtโ€™s rich past. Tour includes Devonshire tea โ˜•

A perfect way to experience a piece of local history! It's one of the local events at this year's Australian Heritage Festival. Kicking off this week until May 18.

๐Ÿ“… 23 April 2026
๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ Tickets $25
โ„น๏ธ Event info: https://australianheritagefestival.org.au/event/34388172-a/escorted-tour-of-tanilba-house-gardens-heritage-history-trail-tanilba-bay

Event by portstephensfamilyhistory.com.au

๐Ÿ“ธ Image: Tanilba House Facebook

๐ŸŽ‰ Heritage Festival is almost here! Check out the local events๐Ÿ‘‡
08/04/2026

๐ŸŽ‰ Heritage Festival is almost here! Check out the local events๐Ÿ‘‡

The 2026 Australian Heritage Festival will spotlight Newcastle and the Hunterโ€™s rich history through tours, performances, exhibitions, and community events celebrating the regionโ€™s diverse cultural heritage.

FULL STEAM AHEAD: https://bit.ly/4vazeYI

With the by-election approaching for City of Newcastle Lord Mayor, it's informative to see where candidates stand on maj...
08/04/2026

With the by-election approaching for City of Newcastle Lord Mayor, it's informative to see where candidates stand on major heritage projects like the Newcastle Ocean Baths. Thanks to Friends of Newcastle Ocean Baths Incorporated for organising.

๐€๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐‹๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐Œ๐š๐ฒ๐จ๐ซ๐š๐ฅ ๐œ๐š๐ง๐๐ข๐๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ก๐š๐ฏ๐ž ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐๐ž๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐…๐Ž๐๐Ž๐โ€™๐ฌ ๐Ž๐œ๐ž๐š๐ง ๐๐š๐ญ๐ก๐ฌ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ง๐š๐ข๐ซ๐ž.

๐Ÿ‘‰ ๐‘๐ž๐š๐ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ: www.savenewcastlebaths.com/have-your-say

๐…๐Ž๐๐Ž๐ ๐ˆ๐ง๐œ. โ€“ ๐ˆ๐ง๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ

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Newcastle And Hunter Valley
Newcastle, NSW

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