New Lambton, New South Wales

New Lambton
NewcastleNew South Wales
Population: 9236 (2006 census)
Postcode: 2305
Area: 5.2 km² (2.0 sq mi)
Location:
LGA: City of Newcastle
Parish: Newcastle
State District: Newcastle, Wallsend
Federal Division: Charlton, Newcastle
Suburbs around New Lambton:
New Lambton Heights Lambton Broadmeadow
New Lambton Heights New Lambton Broadmeadow
Kotara Kotara Adamstown

New Lambton is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, located 3.5 miles (5.6 km) 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, with the New Lambton Colliery situated to the east across the railway in Adamstown.

The suburb includes two shopping streets, two schools and three pubs (The Duke of Wellington, The General Roberts and The Blackbutt Hotel). New Lambton's main street is Regent Street which houses a number of shops and cafes. The renovations of the Duke of Wellington pub and the nearby General Roberts Hotel as well as the addition of a number of fashion boutiques has added to the appeal of New Lambton, with many real estate agents recognising the rise the area's popularity.

For further details refer to Newcastle City Council's overview and map showing boundaries.

Contents

Early days

New Lambton was incorporated as a Municipality, on 8 January 1889, covering 2,560 acres (10 km2). 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 Street.

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), New Lambton 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]

During World War II, New Lambton Public School was requestioned by the government and used as No. 2 Fighter Sector Headquarters. In recognition of this, the school was granted permission in 1995 to fly the Royal Australian Air Force Ensign and is the only school in Australia allowed to do so.[2]

New Lambton once boasted an art-deco cinema, The Savoy, now the New Lambton Community Centre..

Bushland Reserve

One of the main attractions to the suburb is the very popular Blackbutt Reserve, located six kilometres from Newcastle and nestled between the suburbs of New Lambton and Kotara (see map [3]). Spread across 182 hectares of urban bushland, Blackbutt Reserve provides nature trails, wildlife exhibits, children’s playgrounds and recreational facilities. The Reserve, administered by the Newcastle City Council [4], has over 16 kilometres of tracks meandering through the open rainforest, varying from short and gentle to long and hilly, offering the ideal location for enthusiastic walkers, joggers and families with strollers. Blackbutt is a suitable venue for educational institutions to study flora and fauna, topography, geology and ecology, or just a place to go to unwind.

There are four main picnic and recreational areas off different entry points:

Blackbutt is the perfect place for a relaxing family picnic or exploring the wonders of nature (including award-winning wildlife exhibits) such as koalas, kangaroos, emus, wombats, native birds, lizards, snakes, fauna, etc. The elevated walkways joining the viewing shelters overlooking the sensitively prepared exhibits and enclosures, accessible via the Black Pond Picnic Area, provide an excellent perspective on wildlife for observer and photographer alike. The large pond in Richley Reserve Picnic Area has an entertaining population of turtles and eels and plenty of open space for children to play.

Well-maintained Recreation facilities include:

Sport

New Lambton is home to the New Lambton Eagles Soccer Club, a stalwart of Newcastle football. The home ground of the premiership-winning club is Adamstown oval and they play in the region's inter-district 1st division competition. Ausgrid Stadium, located in the north east of the suburb, is a venue used by the National Rugby League's Newcastle Knights and the A-League's Newcastle Jets.

Notes

  1. ^ The Federal Directory of Newcastle and District for 1901. Newcastle: Davies & Cannington. 1901, reprinted 1982. ISBN 0-9593518-0-9. 
  2. ^ New Lambton Public School. "RAAF Ensign". http://www.newlambton.ps.education.nsw.gov.au/RAAF%20Ensign.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-16.  Contains excerpt of letter from Air Vice-Marshal Bob Richardson, 1995-05-18
  3. ^ "Google Map". http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=-32.932912,151.696644&spn=0.017253,0.05579&t=m&z=15&vpsrc=6. 
  4. ^ "Newcastle City Council". http://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/recreation/blackbutt_reserve.  accessed 2011-10-07. See Council's website for extensive details about Blackbutt Reserve including booking arrangements, the Junior Rangers program and contact details.

External links