New Lambton, New South Wales

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New Lambton is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, located 3.5 miles west of the city centre. Its eastern boundary is the Great Northern Railway, where it is served by Adamstown railway station. New Lambton was originally a coal-mining township, but the New Lambton Colliery was situated across the railway in Adamstown.

1 Early days
2 Attractions today
3 Other
4 Notes

[edit] Early days

New Lambton was incorporated as a Municipality, on 8th January 1889, covering 2,560 acres. In 1901 it had a population of 1,464. The council derived a considerable revenue from the district's largest mine, the Scottish-Australian Coal Mining Company's Lambton Colliery, managed by the three Croudace brothers, Frank, Thomas, & Sydney, which although closer to Lambton fell within this municipality. One of the district's principal thoroughfares today is Croudace Road.

In 1901 the Municipal Council was as follows: Mayor: George Errington, Justice of the Peace; Town Clerk: Henry J. Noble; Aldermen: John Williams, Benjamin Bradley, John Butterworth, Charles Dagwell, Richard Lay, Michael Gray, J.P., Joseph Cartright and Alexander Sneddon. The town was free of debt, and had a Telegraph Office, Council Chambers (erected at a cost of £550), Mechanics' Institute, Reading Room, Fire Brigade, Public School, good streets and "many signs of advancement". In 1938 an Act of the New South Wales Parliament created a "City of Greater Newcastle", incorporating 11 municipalities into one local government area, including New Lambton.

In 1901 the Member for Kahibah in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, including New Lambton, was Alfred Edden.^[1]

[edit] Attractions today

Flying fox colony in Blackbutt Reserve

One of the main attractions to the suburb is Blackbutt Reserve, six kilometres from Newcastle, nestled in between the suburbs of New Lambton and Kotara. The main entry points into the Reserve are from Carnley Avenue, Lookout Road and Freyberg Street. It is a large bushland reserve which includes wildlife sanctuary for koalas, kangaroos, emus, wombats, native brids etc.

Spread across 182 hectares of urban bushland, Blackbutt Reserve provides nature trails, wildlife exhibits, children’s playgrounds and recreational facilities. It is the perfect place for a relaxing family picnic or to explore the wonders of nature. The Reserve has over 16 kilometres of tracks offering the ideal location for the enthusiastic walkers and joggers. Tracks vary from short gentle to long and hilly. You can walk through the rainforest restoration area or stroll through the open forest. Areas within Blackbutt Reserve have been developed for recreational and picnic activities. There are four main picnic areas including Black Duck Picnic Area (located off Carnley Avenue), Richley Picnic Area (located off Freyberg Street), Dead Tree Picnic Area and Lily Pond Picnic Area (located off the corner of Queens Road and Mahogany Drive).

Recreation Facilities include:

Barbecues Playgrounds Picnic facilities Photography Bird watching Peaceful areas for relaxation Wildlife Exhibits Blackbutt Reserve offers visitors the opportunity to experience wildlife through its award winning wildlife exhibits and observe local native (indigenous) animals including koalas, kangaroos, wombats, emus and a selection of Australian birds. It is also available to educational institutions to study flora and fauna, topography and geology.

[edit] Other

New Lambton once boasted an art-deco cinema, The Savoy, and has a major sports ground. The suburb includes two shopping streets, two schools and three pubs: The Duke of Wellington, The General Roberts and The Blackbutt Hotel.