Discovering Newcastle

Join us for series of walks, led by society president Dr. Roy Lumby. 

Get ready to explore the city of Newcastle. It contains many fine and sophisticated examples of late nineteenth and twentieth century architecture.

Newcastle boasts one of the finest collections of commercial and civic buildings from the 1920s and 1930s in NSW, comparable to many in Sydney in their confidence and style and with a scale that is comparable to those erected in state capitals such as Adelaide or Brisbane during the interwar period.

Our visit will include the City Hall precinct, a civic precinct combining a rich array of fine public and cultural buildings organised around a landscaped square and the major business precinct concentrated around Hunter Street, which is undergoing a dynamic revival.

We’ll also explore the work of prominent architects such as Frederick Menckens and Frederick Romberg.

Come along for just one walk, or all four – it’s up to you.

Special offers for our members

If you’re a member, we’re offering Weekend Walk Passes for $65. Plus there’s a range of other package options which include meals.

Not yet a member?

We’d say now’s the perfect time to join up! Otherwise of course, you’re still welcome. Individual walks are priced at $35 – but these tickets are strictly limited.

Explore our flexible range of pricing options >>

Enjoy four fascinating heritage walks over three days:

Saturday 5 October – municipal and cultural precinct

We’re allowing time on Saturday morning for people to arrive from other parts of NSW.

In the afternoon, we’ll enjoy this exploration of Newcastle’s highly significant municipal and cultural precinct, led by Dr. Roy Lumby.

There’s much to discover in these delightful streetscapes, with architectural styles ranging across the 19th and 20th centuries.

The city of Newcastle boasts one of the finest collections of commercial and civic buildings from the 1920s and 1930s in NSW, comparable to many in Sydney in their confidence and style.

The scale is comparable to those erected in state capitals such as Adelaide or Brisbane during the interwar period.

This walk will be followed by two walks on Sunday and one on Monday.

Sunday 6 October – two walks

On Sunday morning, we’ll admire the streetscapes between Customs House and the Cathedral – an exploration of institutional buildings and including some 1930s flats.

Roy will show us that there’s much to discover in the area.

On Sunday afternoon, we’ll be looking at Commercial Newcastle (this will be Part 1, with Part 2 on Monday morning).

Roy will show us some of the finest commercial architecture from the interwar period in NSW.

Monday 7 October – Commercial Newcastle (Part 2).

On Monday morning, Roy will show us more of Newcastle’s fine commercial architecture.

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Accommodation

A few rooms have been reserved at a local hotel – details will be sent to our members.

Alternatively, there are a fair number of hotels and motels in Newcastle. It may be an idea to book early, as the October Long Weekend period is often busy.