The Station

Newcastle Station is an example of Victorian Italianate architecture.

The Station is a legacy of a bygone era and a striking symbol of rail’s expansion into regional NSW improving the lives of Novacastrians in the mid 1800s.
 

The Station buildings: 

The Station’s first buildings were constructed in 1858 opening up access to and from Newcastle like never before. The first station was a small brick building with a single platform - however as Newcastle grew, the original station quickly became inadequate and a new, two-storey station was built.

The red brick Victorian Italianate façade of The Station’s central building, edged by two end wing pavilions, is a monument to Newcastle’s great past and exciting future. Unusually built parallel to the tracks, it played an important role in the street-scape of Scott Street. It included a verandah along the Scott Street frontage that was later closed in.

Newcastle had the only regional station with a silver service dining room for passengers. The spaces for the dining room and upstairs kitchen, including a dumbwaiter, are still visible.

The current awning along Platform One was built around 1897 and additional buildings were established in the late 1800s.

In the 1920s The Station was extended. Original plans included an L-shaped, two-storey wing along Watt and Scott Streets, with a three-storey tower on the corner where the streets meet. However with no funding to construct the proposed works, a smaller extension was constructed followed by a building on the corner of Watt and Scott Streets used for rail administration.
 

Gasworks building:

At the north eastern boundary of the site a modified 1880s former Gasworks Building stands. The gas retort building and associated gas tanks on the northern side of The Station were constructed in 1883 to provide the site with gas. 

Comprehensive community engagement was undertaken to establish a clear understanding of how people would most like to use the station precinct, and see it restored following the truncation of the heavy rail corridor into Newcastle.

Through the 2016 Ideas Festival community engagement program, the community was asked for its thoughts on the future of the space. Over 1,500 comments were received, consisting of 146 unique ideas.

Through a rigorous process involving stakeholder and community groups, four ideas were most supported:

• eateries
• an outdoor piazza
• an active art space
• & cinema under the stars.

In consideration with the community feedback, HCCDC performed significant platform infill and heritage restoration works at the precinct, and took the site to market for a temporary 18-month lease in late 2017 to see how The Station could be used by the community.

Read more about the Ideas Festival in the Outcomes Report.