This page contains information on these Heritage Conservation Areas.

• Cooks Hill
• The Hill 
• Newcastle East
• Hamilton South (Garden Suburb)
• Newcastle City Centre

Cooks Hill

Cooks Hill was first settled as part of the Australian Agricultural Company's 2000 acre holding of coal bearing land in inner Newcastle, from the 1830s. The location of the Company's mines and railways influenced the layout of roads and parks and affected the form of residential and commercial development. By the 1860s, the Company began releasing land, beginning with commerical development on Lake Macquarie Road (now Darby Street), and small residential lots bought by its workers. This tended to produce modest houses on small blocks of land around a street pattern aligned to the company's railways. The modern suburb of Cooks Hill emerged from these beginnings. 

Cooks Hill has a residential character distinguished by tree lined streets, churches, hotels, small shops and eateries on Darby Street. The north precinct features densely packed houses on small allotments whereas in the south there are a large number of detached houses on larger blocks.

When you are planning a development within the Cooks Hill Heritage Conservation Area you will need to consult Newcastle DCP 2012 and consult the Heritage Inventory listing sheet to understand what is significant in the area. If you are planning a major development likely to involve the excavation of land you will need to establish the archaeological potential of your property by consulting the Newcastle Archaeological Management Plan and accompanying maps.

 Cooks Hill Map (96kb pdf)

 Cooks Hill Heritage Inventory Listing Sheet (564kb pdf)

 Newcastle Archaeological Management Plan (6.9mb pdf)

 Heritage Impact Statement Guidelines (34.5kb pdf)

The Hill

First known as Church Hill - then Prospect Hill - this area is the historic heart of Newcastle and the site of the first town plan laid out by Henry Dangar in 1823. The alignment of streets in The Hill still follows Dangar's plan.

Views of the suburb from the harbour are dominated by the iconic Christ Church Cathedral, a landmark in a precinct dominated by its steep topography. Adjacent is Cathedral Park, the first burial ground for the Newcastle penal colony. Many of the burials survive in their original resting place and Council commenced a restoration program to care for these items in 2012. The park is highly valued by descendants as a place for peaceful reflection on the city's past.

By 1860, Newcastle was slowly emerging from the shackles of its penal past, growing in economic importance as a place for coal exportation. The city's rapidly burgeoning middle class chose the slopes of The Hill to build many large fine houses, many of which survive today - Marlborough House, Jesmond House and Woodlands.

The Hill has a “San Franciscan” feel with streets running down the hill to the harbour.

When you are planning a development within The Hill Heritage Conservation Area you will need to consult Newcastle DCP 2012 and the Heritage Inventory Listing sheet (below), which describes the heritage significance of the area.  If planning to undertake a major development likely to involve bulk excavation of land you will also need to establish the archaeological potential of your property by consulting the Newcastle Archaeological Management Plan and accompanying maps.

 The Hill Map (72kb)

 The Hill Heritage Inventory Listing Sheet (451kb)

 Heritage Impact Statement Guidelines (34.5kb)

Newcastle East

Newcastle East has long been a focus of industrial and residential activity. It contains a number of highly significant archaeological sites dating from the convict period (1801-1822) including the Convict Lumberyard/Stockade, Fort Scratchley Historic Site (site of Australia's first working coal mine, 1801) and the Convict Gaol site.

However residential development was relatively slow and it was not until the Scottish Australian Investment Company undertook dune stabilisation in the 1870s that residential development could take place. By the 1880s there were a number of substantial villas in the East End.

The East End is characterised by two and three storey terrace houses on narrow lots, together with scattered single storey cottages. Modern apartments fringe the perimeter of the area and proivde a visual counterpoint to the clusters of historic houses that dominate this preinct.

There are numerous heritage items in the area, including the Newcastle Ocean Baths, Fort Scratchley, Stephenson Terrace and Boatman’s Row. Worker’s housing in Alfred Street and Zaara Street are also noteworthy.

When you are planning a development within Newcastle East Heritage Conservation Area you will need to consult Newcastle DCP 2012 and consult the Heritage Inventory listing sheet for the area. If planning to undertake a major development likely to involve bulk excavation of land you will also need to establish the archaeological potential of your property by consulting the Newcastle Archaeological Management Plan and accompanying maps. 

 Newcastle East Map (105kb)

 Newcastle East Heritage Inventory Listing Sheet (356kb)

 Heritage Impact Statement Guidelines (34.5kb)

Hamilton South “Garden Suburb”

This area was part of the Australian Agricultural Company's 2000 acre grant of coal bearing land in inner Newcastle. When mining ceased around 1910, the Company was persuaded by its chief surveyor to capitalise on its holding by creating a prestigious estate with appeal to the higher end of the residential market. This was in stark contrast to the haphazard development of the Company's land at Cooks Hill. 

The Company engaged the successful planning firm Sulman and Hennessey to develop the model for the estate. A local architect FG Castelden, was engaged to design houses to be sold as house and land packages. Two were designed along the lines of the California bungalow form, with gable roofs, brick construction. Another design used cheaper materials (weatherboard and iron cottage) and appealed to the lower end of the market. Examples of each design are still evident along Gordon and Parkway Avenues.

Although the complete design scheme was never fully implemeted, the suburb is dominated by single storey bungalows with uniform front and side setbacks. There are several avenues of street trees remaining from the early years of the subdivision.

When you are planning a development within Hamilton South "Garden Suburb" Heritage Conservation Area you will need to consult Newcastle DCP 2012 and consult the Heritage Inventory listing sheet for the area. 

 Hamilton South "Garden Suburb" Map (105kb)

 Heritage Inventory Listing Sheet - Hamilton South Garden Suburb (430kb)

 Heritage Impact Statement Guidelines (34.5kb)

City Centre Heritage Conservation Area

Newcastle is the second oldest city outside of the Sydney metropolitan area and far older than most other capital cities in Australia. Its rise as a regional mercantile and coal export centre produced a city with many buildings of architectural merit.

The city is made up of commercial and retail buildings with a commercial character evocative of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of the earliest examples of Australian railways and coal mining activity can be found in the city centre, including railway lines, archaeological sites and street layouts.

The Newcastle City Centre is a city in transition, experiencing a shift away from the traditional core of businesses and shops to a more mixed character where residential buildings of seven or more storeys are now emerging. The challenge is to capture the essence of the city’s historical and commercial character so that it is sustainable within the context of the changing city environment.

When you are planning a development within City Centre Heritage Conservation Area you will need to consult Newcastle DCP 2012, the Newcastle Archaeological Management Plan, and consult the Heritage Inventory listing sheet for the area. 

 CBD Map (219kb)

 Newcastle Archaeological Management Plan (6.9mb)

 Heritage Inventory Listing Sheet - Newcastle City Centre  (249kb)

 Heritage Impact Statement Guidelines (34.5 kb)