Councillors and Fellow Committee Members
Newcastle City Council Newcastle East Heritage Tourist Steering Committee

Dear Colleagues,

Heritage tourism outcome for anniversary of the founding of Newcastle 30/3/1804 to 30/3/2004

The Newcastle East Heritage Tourist Plan is not about Newcastle East and is not a plan in the true sense of the word. It has no clearly detailed proposal for achieving an outcome.

The historic focus of the founding of Newcastle is embodied in the Nobbys Coal River Historic Precinct at Newcastle East but it doesn’t gain a mentioned in the N E Heritage Tourist Plan.

The identified historic precinct is a convict period unity and includes the Nobbys Island, Macquarie Pier, convict mine workings at Colliers Point, and the Convict Stockade Lumber Yard. Fort Scratchley 1882 is an important adjunct to the precinct but it is the convict mines that are the focus of the founding Newcastle settlement 1804 and the reason for the settlement.

Preparation of a masterplan for Nobbys Coal River Historic Precinct is an urgent necessity. The plan would be a special coordinating or overarching Plan of Management that researches history, protects heritage fabric and guides future development as projected in the Prospectus Newcastle’s Coal River Historic Site.

Newcastle City Council should have initiated the plan but has mishandled the opportunity provided by our Prospectus. Parks and Playgrounds Movement prepared the Prospectus for the Historic Site proposal in Oct 1999 for the Lord Mayor Cr John Tate to take to Canberra and funding was gained. The prospectus contains ten actions that should have been in place for the 200th anniversary.

In an effort to salvage the situation and restart the planning we held a Coal River Workshop on the 5/4/03 sponsored by the Newcastle Permanent as part of the National Trust Heritage Festival.

Next year is not only 200th anniversary of the founding of Newcastle it is also commemorates the beginning of the coalmining industry.

A high priority needs to be given to the Nobbys Coal River Masterplan and the ten actions because their implementation is vital to understanding the founding of Newcastle and the future interpretation, conservation and development of the historic precinct at Newcastle East.

A new start on planning for a heritage tourism outcome for next year is an urgent necessity.
Attached: (see http://www.newcastle.edu.au/coalriver )
a) Page 1 and page 11 of the Prospectus Coal River Historic Site showing the Action Plan.
b) Diagram showing the relationship of the Master Plan to other planning initiatives.
c) Nobbys Coal River Workshop flyer. (Proceedings will be sent to you when complete)