Archives
Shipwrecked – the story of Newcastle’s tragic coast
It's thought that more than 200 shipwrecks lay littered around the coast of Newcastle, Australia. This brilliant documentary explores the history of just some of those vessels that ended their ...
A Place Called Hollywood
Hollywood, located near Jesmond in Newcastle, NSW, was one of several shanty towns that emerged during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Star Hotel Riot 1979
Just about everyone in Newcastle over 50 reckons they were at the infamous Star Hotel riot. And, no, Cold Chisel were not playing on the night The Star got wild ...
1974 Sygna Storm
2024 is the 50th anniversary of the huge storm that drove the MV Sygna onto the beach at Stockton, Australia.
Whibayganba – the story of Nobbys Headland
Whibayganba - the story of Nobbys Headland. Documentary by Stories of Our Town.
Oh Buoy!
Oh buoy! How did a huge steel harbour buoy find its way to a paddock in Brunkerville?
London Beefeater Restaurant
We recognise the late Warwick Teece and the Leading Light Tower at Newcastle East - but who are the other actors in this glorious television ad for the London Beefeater restaurant in Hunter Mall?
Stone Shelter Sheds – South Newcastle Beach
In 1904, Newcastle council initiated beach improvements, resulting in the 1907 construction of the stone shelter sheds at South Newcastle Beach to serve women and children. These structures, ...
Fran Milburn – Dressmaker
From the 1930s to the 1970s, dressmaker Fran Milburn made more than 200 wedding dresses for Newcastle brides. Can you identify any of the brides?
Newcastle Ocean Baths
Dawn Patrol - Newcastle Ocean Baths | Image Carol Duncan
The iconic Newcastle Ocean Baths will re-open to swimmers this month after a huge, multi-million renovation of the pool and ...
The Obelisk
Built in 1850, the Obelisk in Newcastle stands on the site of the first windmill in the town which was built in 1820 to grind flour. The windmill itself became an important early navigational aid.
Glenrock Scout Camp 1960
There's just so much to love about this photo from the Newcastle Morning Herald, 20th June 1960.
Submitted to Lost Newcastle by Don Keevers, these lads are the 1st Port Hunter Sea Scouts and ...
The Ridge, Merewether
Built in 1861, The Ridge - formerly Hillcrest Maternity Hospital - is one of Newcastle's iconic properties.
Finding Your Family
Keen on finding out more about your own family tree? There are incredible resources available online but it can be really helpful to spend time with others who are also keen about their family ...
Duke Kahanamoku visits Newcastle 1915
The 1915 visit to Newcastle by the legendary swimmer and surfer Duke Kahanamoku.
Rick Pointon – Hey Rock ‘n Roll
Art Ryan describes Rick Pointon as 'Newcastle rock royalty', and Rick is perhaps best known for his work with the legendary Benny & The Jets. At their peak, Benny & The Jets performed more than ...
Glamour on Glass
Glamour on Glass is a wonderful exhibition curated by University of Newcastle history student and Vera Deacon Scholar, Isabel Whittle.
Newcastle from Nobbys Head c1886
The August postcard for Lost Newcastle #PostcardPatrons is a beautifully printed c1886 image of Newcastle from Nobbys Head by Frederic B Schell.
Newcastle 1899
In June 2018, Ross Balderson shared a photo in the Lost Newcastle Facebook Group of a scale model scene of Newcastle 1899 that he was building. Not only did people not mind Ross sharing a photo ...
Tony Robinson Time Walks Newcastle 2011
In 2011, Novocastrians were delighted to see a visit by Sir Tony Robinson who was creating a series on Australia and New Zealand for The History Channel. Watch the episode and listen to Carol ...
MV Kooringa
Did you know the world's first purpose-built container ship was built in Newcastle? MV Kooringa was built by Australian company Associated Steamships in partnership with McIlwraith, McEacharn ...
How much did YOU love The Beatles?
Beverly from the Newcastle Beatles Lovers Club explains to NBN TV in 1964 why she loves The Beatles so much.
Princess of Tasmania
The Princess of Tasmania was a lifeline for people living on the island state and mainland Australia.
A roll on/roll off passenger ship, the Princess of Tasmania was building by the NSW State ...
Ruth Cotton
Ruth Cotton is well known to many in Newcastle for her huge body of local history work on the multicultural hub of Hamilton. Her Hidden Hamilton blog began as a way for her to find out more ...
Newcastle Coal Fields 1866 – April Postcard 2023
Newcastle as we know it today was founded on coal - the 'black diamond' first mined by convicts close to the mouth of Coal River, now the Hunter River, in the 1790s. Australia has made money out ...
100 years of the Australian Wire Rope Works
Today the Australian Wire Rope Works at Mayfield - now known as Bekaert Australia - marks 100 years of continuous manufacture.
Established in Newcastle in 1923, the Australian Wire Rope Works ...
Newcastle Show – Max Dupain, 1940s
Max Dupain photograph of Newcastle Show 1940s - State Library of NSW
Decimal Currency – 1966
The program to move Australia to decimal currently began in 1959 with the appointment of the Decimal Currency Committee. The committee reported to the federal government in 1960 and in 1963, the ...
A Night Out at Central Hall
An invitation concert was given by the Newcastle Mandoline, Banjo, and Guitar Society at the Central Hall last evening. The attendance was very large, the seating capacity of the hall being ...
Central Methodist Mission
In 1902, work began on the Methodist Mission on the site in King Street land that had previously been owned by William Croasdill who had come to Australia to work for the Australian Agricultural ...
Mary and Elsie Kingwell
In 1907, young Newcastle sisters Elsie (b1894) and Mary (b1896) Kingwell were receiving some very positive press as young actors.
Daughters of Edwin Kingwell, born in Geelong in 1862, and Mary ...
Dossie Violet Lucas
She was the daughter of George Charles Lucas (died Newcastle 1923) and Mary Wilhelmine Peschel (died Newcastle 1948). Mary’s death notice in the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate ...
Welcome, 2023 – and thank you!
The coast off Newcastle is littered with the remains of shipwrecks, many of which were doomed by the notorious Oyster Bank.
Our January postcard for #PostcardPatrons is this stunning ...
Wreck of the Coaling Brig Victor
Mariners described the port of Newcastle as a ‘hellhole’ with over 200 vessels having been wrecked in and around the mouth of the Hunter River, including the coaling brig Victor wrecked in 1866. ...
Australian Jazz Convention 1964
58 YEARS ON: REMEMBERING THE 19TH AUSTRALIAN JAZZ CONVENTION, NEWCASTLE, 1964
By Roland Bannister
Back in 1964, news that we'd scored the 19th Australian Jazz Convention for Newcastle ...
Baby Ballerinas 1968
Baby ballerinas at Newcastle Civic Theatre for their concert with the Tessa Maunder School of Ballet.
Become a Lost Newcastle patron
Dear patrons, the December postcard is on the way to you shortly and I've chosen this 1912 image by iconic Newcastle photographer Ralph Snowball as our beautiful Newcastle Ocean Baths celebrates ...
Dr Roland Bannister – podcast
Dr Roland Bannister spent his early years growing up in Waratah, NSW but recalls many family trips to Singleton, Paterson, and other Hunter Valley locations. While he has fond memories of these ...
Civic Park and War Memorial Cultural Centre
In 1965, Civic Park and the War Memorial Cultural Centre were quite different! The dedicated art gallery was yet to be built, the Hinder fountain hadn't been installed, Civic Park was still a ...
November postcard on the way!
Dear Patrons,
Thank you for supporting Lost Newcastle. This project has been 10 years in the making and I'm working hard to tell even more stories, share more photos, host events and ...
1954 Royal Visit Plaque in Tudor Street
When I posted this photo in the Lost Newcastle Facebook group recently, it quickly became quite the topic - that most people never knew the plaque was even there!
Beginning as a commemoration of ...
Hunter Street’s Hidden Bridge
Did you know there is a bridge under Hunter Street in Newcastle West? You might drive over it every day and not realise. The Cottage Creek Bridge is over 120 years old. Story: City of Newcastle 2022
1954 Royal Visit
A selection of official programmes and newspaper clippings from Queen Elizabeth II's first visit to Newcastle in 1954.
1926 – 2022 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II made several visits to Newcastle during her reign and attended the opening of many significant projects including the Newcastle Art Gallery in 1977 and Queens Wharf in 1988. ...
Did Little Richard REALLY throw all his jewellery into Newcastle’s Hunter River?
It's often rumoured that Little Richard - considered the founding father of rock music - suddenly found God while on tour in Australia in 1957 and threw his jewellery into Newcastle's Hunter ...
10 Years of History and Mystery
Lost Newcastle celebrates 10 anniversary
Brewery Employees Picnic 1905
Newcastle Brewery Employees Picnic at Tomago 1905 - fabulous photo taken by Ralph Snowball. "The picnic promoted by the Newcastle branch of the Brewery Employees’ Union, held at Tyler’s grounds, ...
8 June 1942 – The Attack on Newcastle
8 June 2022 is the 80th anniversary of the shelling of Newcastle, Australia, during WW2.
Lost Newcastle supports Vera Deacon Regional History Fund
Lost Newcastle is now a proud supporter of the Vera Deacon Regional History Fund. Your purchase will help support and encourage the preservation and study of the University’s regional history ...
BHP – STORIES OF OUR TOWN DOCUMENTARY
If you grew up in Newcastle, then you’re probably connected to the BHP story. In 1959, one in ten Novocastrians worked there. It’s an industry that above all others built this town. This film is ...
The ‘Pasha Bulker’ Storm – June 2007
The 2007 Newcastle storms and floods caused over $1.6 billion in damage, thousands of homes were damaged and around 5000 cars were destroyed. Tragically, 10 people across the wider region lost ...
Leading Light or Beacon Towers
Newcastle has its very own castle turret on top of The Hill in the form of the Leading Light Tower or Beacon Tower. It was one of two built to assist captains in bringing their ships safely into ...
City Administration Centre – The Roundhouse
Opened on 23 June 1977, Newcastle's City Administration Centre - known as The Roundhouse - is a significant piece of brutalist architecture.
Victoria Theatre and Nancy Tapp
Newcastle's Victoria Theatre is the oldest remaining theatre in NSW. Now heritage-listed, plans are in place for the next life of this grand dame.
Vera Deacon OAM | 1926 – 2021
In 2020, Vera was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to community history and to conservation, and was additionally made a Freeman of the City of Newcastle. In typical Vera ...
Lycett & Wallis – The Convict & The Commandant
"I think the importance of artwork like Lycett's in regards to a city like Newcastle is that you don't have to go to Arnhem Land or the Kimberley to be in touch with Indigenous culture and ...
The Wallis Album
In 2012, a previously unknown album of drawings from 1818, including landscapes and portraits of Aboriginal people from the Newcastle region, returned to Newcastle for a brief exhibition by the ...
Palo Alto – Hamilton
Hamilton's Palo Alto is a piece of Art Deco bliss built for Mr William Herbert of Silsoe Street, Hamilton, in 1935. On the market for the first time since 1961, the building is a pure Art Deco ...
Newcastle East Public School
Newcastle East Public School is the oldest continually operating school in Austalia having started in 1816. The school's first master was a convict on a conditional pardon, Henry Wrensford, and ...
A Russian Visit
Newcastle may once have been concerned that the Russians were coming … but this news article from 1888 details the visit of HIRMS Rynda – a Russian warship that came in to the port of ...
Victoria Theatre
Built in the 1870's, the Victoria Theatre on Perkins Street in Newcastle is the oldest theatre still standing in NSW. It's also home to the largest and earliest surviving fly tower in Australia. ...
Newcastle Rocket Brigade
Cathedral Park – Resting in Pieces
No human remains were removed from Cathedral Park, and indeed there were by that time less than 300 headstones remain, most illegible or broken. Other grave markers, being made of timber, had ...
The Star Hotel
The Star Hotel is best known for the 1979 riot, but the site is a large complex running through from Hunter to King Street and is also one of Newcastle's earliest large commercial complexes with ...
The Wreck of the Adolphe
The French barque Adolphe is just one of many shipwrecks that litter the entrance to Newcastle Harbour, yet 110 years after the disaster, this vessel is still one of the most visible. Carol ...
Memorial Drive Tunnel
One of Newcastle's many hidden places, not open to the public, is a remnant of the Shepherds Hill defence group. A tunnel underneath Memorial Drive enabled power to be supplied to the WWII No 1 ...
St John’s Anglican Church – Cooks Hill
Designed by Edmund Blacket and constructed between 1857 and 1860, St John's Anglican Church in Cooks Hill is Newcastle's oldest standing church with a busy and vibrant modern congregation.
Henry Martin – Victoria Lifeboat crew member
From Lost Newcastle member, Robyn Jeffries:
Pleased to be able to share - my great great grandfather Henry Martin, far right, holding the boat.
This is taken in the water around the Pilot ...
Ralph Snowball Collection
Anyone who is keen on Newcastle's history owes a great debt of gratitude to Ralph Snowball.
Thousands of his glass negatives have been preserved and digitised by the University of ...
A note to the owner of the MV Sygna …
Sygna – the 40th Anniversary 1974 – 2014
26 May 1974 - share your stories here!
Centenary Antique Centre
Centenary Antique Centre
This was the Centenary Antique Centre, situated at 29 Centenary Road, Newcastle.
Once a collection of 32 antique and bric a brac vendors, one part of it was set up ...
Civic Park Carpark 1950s
Civic Park was a carpark in the 1950s
Catherine Hill Bay boiler
Comment from Terrence Owen: "The remains of an early boiler located near the loading point of A & B Pits Collieries of Wallarah Coal Company."
Add your stories of Catherine ...
Stockton fish haul 1945
Photo from Lost Newcastle member Donna Dawson
Warners Bay Public School
Warners Bay Public School 1911 photo from Lost Newcastle member Katrina O'Connor
Snow on Mt Sugarloaf – 18 July 1965
According to Wikiski it's snowed at least twice on Mt Sugarloaf!
It snowed in 1965 and again in the early 1970's on Mt Sugarloaf which has an elevation of about 350m and is about 20km SW ...
Zaara Street Powerstation
From Wikipedia:
Zaara Street Power Station was situated on Zaara Street, in the city of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It was built to supply power for the New South Wales ...
Frank Hendry
Comment by Lost Newcastle members:
David Schofield He was feared and respected by the students. At assembly, he wore his graduation gown and looked very imposing. During my Intermediate ...
BHP blast furnace – final day
George Hotel
Latec House
From www.grandmercureapartments.com.au:
Latec House was designed in 1956 by Peddle Thorp & Walker with construction commencing late 1957. The eleven-storey building
was officially ...
Sygna 1974
Belmont North Public school c1954
Skyline Drive-In Lambton train ride
Amusement train ride that was under the screen of the Skyline drive-in Lambton. 1960's. From Lost Newcastle member Mark Spurr.
Mayfield Swimming Pool opening 1966
Mayfield Pool - BHP's Gift to City - Officially opened Saturday 12/11/66 @ 2.30pm. Distinguished guests are from L - R; Seated behind speaker is Alderman Mr Frank Purdue; Sir Ian ...
Newcastle’s Mysterious ‘Map Pool’
Newcastle's mysterious 'map pool'. Did it ever really exist?
Quigley Grave – Booragul
The question appeared on Lost Newcastle, "Does anyone know this grave? It use to scare us when we were kids."
Lone graves always seem so sad. Unloved and forgotten.
This from Margaret ...
Wallsend Tram Terminus c1870s
Newcastle Harbour c1920s
Bar Beach May 1974
Bar Beach 27 May 1974 - photo from Lost Newcastle member Jeffrey Fergusson.
Wallsend
Wallsend from rotunda photo from Lost Newcastle member Jon Herd
Scotts Ltd Hunter Street c1890s
Scotts Ltd Hunter Street c1890s - credit unknown.
Nineways Broadmeadow c1920
Nineways Broadmeadow c1920 photo from Lost Newcastle member
Coaling at the Dyke 1900
Governor Northcott 1947
From Lost Newcastle member, Chris Watsford:
My grandfather Sgt Bill McKie performing escort duties (then Cst) for Governor Northcott (walking off gangplank) at Newcastle. This was taken on ...
Newcastle Beach Postcard 1912
Newcastle Beach - postcard photo uploaded by Lost Newcastle member Brian Peters.
Mattara Festival
Corporation Baths
The site of the City Arcade between Hunter and Newcomen Streets has historical significance as an early source of fresh water for the Newcastle community. It is also significant as the site of ...
YY Cordials Newcastle
Newcastle Sun - 6 Jan 1921 - A Newcastle CompanyThe Y.Y. Aerated Water Co., Ltd., was registered on December 13 with a capital of £10,000 in £1 shares, Objects. To acquire by agreement ...