Direct links
 

 Nobbys Coal River Heritage Park Website

 University of Newcastle, Australia

Background and Achievements

It may come as a surprise to some that important sites that marked the foundation of Newcastle were, until recently, yet to be placed on the NSW Heritage Register. Prior to December 2003, the Convict Lumberyard or Stockade had been recognised, but sadly the same could not be said for Nobbys, Macquarie Pier, Colliers Point and the convict coal mines and Signal Hill. Fortunately these sites are still in public ownership.

The University of Newcastle formed the Coal River Working Party to assist The Parks and Playgrounds Movement and other interested community bodies to protect this city's important landmarks.

The overall vision is to create an interpretive centre to express Newcastle's unique Aboriginal, convict and industrial heritage and a management plan for the entire site by the 200th anniversary of the permanent settlement at 'Coal River' 2004.

The way forward is to:

  1. Acknowledge and promote the identified Nobbys Coal River Precinct.
  2. Support the listing of the Precinct on the NSW Heritage Register.
  3. Research, Investigate and Conserve the heritage fabric of the Precinct.
  4. Create a Heritage Conservation Master Plan as an instrument to identify, promote, conserve and coordinate the Nobbys Coal River Precinct.
  5. Celebrate the founding of the permanent settlement of Newcastle 30th March 1804.
  6. Request State Government to vote $500,000 to identify convict coal workings and prepare Nobbys Coal River Heritage Master Plan to coordinate activities in the area.

Nobbys Coal River Precinct is:

A significant historical place that gives a tangible expression to Newcastle's Aboriginal & European Heritage.

A distinctive area of public land at the mouth of the Hunter River encompassing Nobbys, Macquarie Pier, Convict Lumber Yard, and the original convict coal mine workings at Colliers Point and beneath Signal Hill.

Potentially one of Australia's most significant sites: It is a place of Aboriginal heritage. It is the location of Shortland's discovery of a Coal River (named Hunter River) and of winnable coal. It is the historic focus of the founding of Newcastle 30/3/1804 and of the beginning of convict coal mining, port development and maritime heritage. It is also a place of later military heritage.

For further information please ring Doug Lithgow Parks and Playgrounds Movement on Phone 49431781 Mobile 041922 6897.

Our achievements

By September 2005 the CRWP successfully researched and located the historic site of the first convict coal mines at Newcastle. This significant discovery located the site of the first profit ever made in the fledgling colony of New South Wales, at Coal River in 1801. As Newcastle is currently the world's largest coal export port, this new information places Coal River as, not only the birthplace of the Australian Coal Mining Industry, but also the Australian Economy.

In 2005 the Nobbys Coal River Website containg hundreds of scanned and digitised historical documents was archived by the National Library of Australia as a site of 'national significance'.

The drilling on the 26th September 2005 and camera descent on the 30th September 2005 and related community events garnered great and unprecedented media coverage for the University and its business and community partners. 

In October 2006 Monteath and Powys Pty Ltd, the Coal River Working Party's surveyors won the People and Community section of the 2006 NSW Awards for Excellence in Surveying and Spatial Information for their work in locating and rediscovery of Newcastle's historic convict coal mines located under Fort Scratchley.  

An international Software company Extra Dimension Solutions Pty Ltd   provided their Software System known as 12D Model for a student project modelling of the Coal River site. On 27 September 2007 these students, John Wilson and Alex Widgery, won the University Student Project category in the 2007 New South Wales Institution of Surveyors Excellence in Surveying Awards for their work on the Coal River Project.

The CRWP’s successful community work was recognized and placed on New South Wales Parliamentary Hansard on two occasions. On 30 March 2004 the work of the CRWP was applauded in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly under title of "Newcastle Coal Heritage: Matter of Public Importance" Page: 7708. On 2 June 2004 Hon. Patricia Forsythe in her speech to the NSW Legislative Council called upon the city council, business, the university and the community to work together to develop the Project, and urged Newcastle City Council to give "this concept the priority it deserves by giving leadership to its promotion, and co-ordination." She also expressed a hope that the State and Federal Governments (as well as many committed private firms in the Coal Industry) would provide the funding needed to realise the vision.

The Future

Climate change knows no borders and we believe that the Hunter is at a crossroads. Luckily our history holds the key to our future. For the last 200 years our Region has led the world in the creation of fossil fuel energy. Our challenge to reinvigorate an international renaissance as clean energy innovators and set a goal of a renewable Hunter Region by 2020, using current profits to research renewable energy solutions that will kick us all off our fossil fuel addiction.

Stay tuned for exciting initiatives to celebrate Newcastle's Sequicentenary of the formation of the Borough of Newcastle on 7 June 2009.