45-474: Kooragang ( / ˈ k uː r ə ɡ æ ŋ / ) is the largest suburb of the city of Newcastle , in the Hunter Region of New South Wales , Australia. Dominated by Kooragang Island , the eastern part of the suburb is primarily industrial, while the western part of the suburb consists of nature reserves. Covering an area of 35.4 km (13.7 sq mi), at the 2016 census , there were no people living in
90-517: A bitumen plant, Blue Circle Southern Cement , Sims Metal recyclers and Orica Kooragang, which manufactures agricultural fertiliser and explosives for the mining industry. Orica Kooragang opened in 1969. A single 600 kW wind turbine was installed on the island between Cormorant Road and the Hunter River in 1997, generating enough power for 150 homes per year. However, its future came into question because it sat on land that may be needed for
135-454: A bottleneck for road traffic. A decision was made in the late 1930s to construct a bridge, however construction was delayed by World War II . Eventually the first two-lane bridge was opened in December 1952. The first bridge is a steel truss bridge with a central lifting span , designed to allow shipping to travel upstream. By the 1970s, this bridge was becoming a bottleneck and the decision
180-490: A concrete bridge that is still used today. Fifty families lived on the island until it was devastated by the 1955 Hunter Valley floods . By the 1960s, industrial development closer to Newcastle resulted in a land reclamation scheme that combined the smaller islands into what is now Kooragang Island. The western part of Kooragang island, which is now home to the Kooragang Wetland Rehabilitation Project,
225-604: A dairy processing factory by the Hunter Valley Dairy Co-operative, which established the Oak milk brand. The site is now owned and operated by Brancourts Dairy ; one of the oldest Australian owned and operated dairy companies in Australia. Hexham's central location has seen the establishment of petrol stations, fast food outlets, warehouses and saleyards for heavy vehicles and caravans. The Hexham Bowling Club provides
270-524: A future ship turning basin. It was eventually dismantled on 29 October 2014. The turbine was later installed in Tasmania. Ash Island is 12 km (7 mi) west of the Newcastle CBD and covers an area of 780 ha (1,927 acres). It is accessed by a road bridge at the western end of the island. Originally, a wooden bridge was constructed to connected Ash Island from Hexham and a jetty was constructed near
315-658: A majority of the day. It was the riverine terminus of the privately owned Richmond Vale Railway line, an early coal hauling railway from Minmi and Stockrington which crossed the Main Northern railway line at right angles. Coal loading at the wharf ended in 1967 and the railway line to the adjoining workshops was closed in October 1973. The remaining section of the Richmond Vale Railway was closed in September 1987. Hexham
360-710: A process to formally define their boundaries and to gazette them, which is almost complete. In March 2006, only South Australia and the Northern Territory had not completed this process. The CGNA's Gazetteer of Australia recognises two types of locality: bounded and unbounded. Bounded localities include towns, villages, populated places, local government towns and unpopulated town sites, while unbounded localities include place names, road corners and bends, corners, meteorological stations, ocean place names and surfing spots. Sometimes, both localities and suburbs are referred to collectively as "address localities". In
405-538: A range of entertainment services for locals and travellers. It is also the home of the Free Church of Tonga which is situated on Old Maitland Road. In the 2021 census , Hexham recorded a population of 157 people. The median age of residents was 35 years, compared to the national median of 38 years. People aged 65 years and over made up 20.6% of the population, compared to the national average of 17.2%. The majority of respondents (84.1%) were born in Australia, compared to
450-565: Is close to the northern end of the Pacific Motorway . The Hunter Valley Dairy Co-operative took advantage of this key location to establish its first milkbar under the Co-operative's signature dairy brand Oak to serve locals and longer distance travellers outside its Hexham manufacturing facility. Many years after the closure of the co-operative and the sale of the Oak milk brand Lion to Parmalat ,
495-519: Is displayed at the Australian Museum . In 1866 Scott became bankrupt and sold the property which was subdivided, cleared and drained. In 2020 Dr Bernadette Drabsh from the University of Newcastle and natural history student Rachel Klyvee released a documentary series about a project wanting the restore the scott's sister image. Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichardt was a German born artist who visited
SECTION 10
#1732858380915540-460: Is split between the City of Newcastle and City of Lake Macquarie LGAs; and Woodville , which is split between the City of Maitland and Port Stephens Council LGAs. In unincorporated areas , localities are declared by the relevant state authority. Hexham, New South Wales Hexham / ˈ h ɛ k s . ə m / is a suburb of the city of Newcastle , about 15 km (9 mi) inland from
585-411: Is still known as Ash Island. The eastern and more well-known part of Kooragang Island is primarily a coal export port. It was established in 1984 by a BHP led consortium, with a capacity of 15 million tonnes per annum. By 2013 the capacity had been increased to 120 million tonnes per annum. In July 2013 a record high of 10.3 million tonnes of coal was processed through the port of Newcastle, with 83 of
630-400: Is used in rural areas, while the term suburb is used in urban areas. Australian postcodes closely align with the boundaries of localities and suburbs. This Australian usage of the term "suburb" differs from common American and British usage, where it typically means a smaller, frequently separate residential community outside, but close to, a larger city. The Australian usage is closer to
675-578: Is via three bridges. From Mayfield West the Tourle Street Bridge is the primary access to Kooragang, Stockton and Port Stephens from Newcastle suburbs. In the east of the suburb, the Stockton Bridge connects Kooragang to Stockton. Access to the western part of the suburb is via the Ash Island bridge at Hexham. Kooragang is generally low and flat, with some build-up in the industrial area in
720-537: The A.A Company was demolished. In 1955 all the families moved out due to major flooding. After this the NSW government took control of the land and leased it for grazing land. In the 1960s a large scale industrial development began and by 1968 become a part of Kooragang Island. In 1968, a 10 klometre railway line opened on Kooragang Island, branching off the Main Northern railway line to the west of Warabrook station . In 1984
765-590: The Hunter River - Coquun and by Ironbark Creek - Toohrnbing to the south, while to the west the suburb consists mainly of unproductive swampland and floodplains. Almost all settlement exists within a narrow corridor stretching along the Pacific Highway between the Main Northern railway line and the Hunter River - Coquun. This corridor, which is occupied mainly by highways and industrial areas, covers an area of only 1.1 square kilometres (0.4 sq mi). Within
810-601: The Newcastle CBD in New South Wales , Australia on the bank of the Hunter River . Settlement occurred at Hexham in the 1820s when the land was granted to Edward Sparke. Hexham was named after the market town of Hexham , England with both towns being near to a Newcastle and sharing a history with one another; many of the coal miners from Newcastle upon Tyne and elsewhere in Northumberland moved to New South Wales at
855-518: The Worimi and Awabakal were the first used the area as major food source. In 1797 Europeans discovered red cedar and ash trees . In 1801 Captain William Paterson commissioned a survey. In the 1800s industrial activity began on the island. In the 1860s the land was transformed to agricultural land and dairy farms. Ash Island has 17 dairy farms with 55 families living there. In 1921 the bridge built by
900-607: The 114 ships being loaded at the Kooragang terminal. Transport of coal to Kooragang Island from Hunter valley coal mines is achieved via the Sandgate Flyover , with coal trains being moved through the port by a balloon loop . In addition to coal exports, many other industries exist on Kooragang Island, some having existed there since before the coal export port was established. Industries include Mountain Industries, which operates
945-808: The American or British use of "district" or "neighbourhood", and can be used to refer to any portion of a city. Unlike the use in British or American English, this term can include inner-city, outer-metropolitan and industrial areas. Localities existed in the past as informal units, but in 1996 the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping and the Committee for Geographical Names in Australasia (CGNA) decided to name and establish official boundaries for all localities and suburbs. There has subsequently been
SECTION 20
#1732858380915990-501: The Hexham manufacturing site now operated and owned by Brancourts is often referred to as the "old Oak site". Hexham is located just upstream of the Hunter River delta and its various islands, and as such it was a relatively convenient place for crossing to the north bank of the river. A punt was established in the 1800s, followed by a steam punt, which eventually carried motor traffic. As traffic levels grew after World War I , Hexham became
1035-524: The Hunter Region between 1842 and 1843. He was invited by Alexander Walker Scott to travel down to Ash Island. He arrived on Friday 23 September 1842 and spent 3–4 days on Ash Island. Many of his sketches are held in the National Library of Australia and State Library of New South Wales . Conrad Marten was English artist who spent time on Charles Darwin 's ship HMS Beagle . He travelled around
1080-645: The Hunter area between 1841 and 1852 visiting Ash Island. His drawings from the Hunter area are digitised in the State Library of New South Wales. 131 Radar Station , located on Ash Island, is a heritage-listed site. [REDACTED] Media related to Kooragang, New South Wales at Wikimedia Commons Suburbs and localities (Australia) Suburbs and localities are the names of geographic subdivisions in Australia , used mainly for address purposes. The term locality
1125-545: The Main Northern railway line to the Hetton Bellbird Sidings at the loader. It had 10 'full' and 5 'empty' sidings. The coal was dumped at a dump station and was transferred via conveyor across the main line and highway to a ship-loader. (The company has a depot to the west, across the Pacific Highway and Great North Railway, at the end of what is now Woodlands Road.) After it was constructed, the first Hexham bridge
1170-522: The Scott house. After concerns about the environmental impacts of industry the Coffey Inquiry was held in 1970 listing concerns over pollution and environmental degradation . It has over 200 species of birds and 15 species of frogs. There over 300 native plant species. It has a combination of rainforest, mangroves and saltmarshes. Europeans settlement introduced kikuyu grass to the area. The Indigenous mobs of
1215-479: The area was declared a Ramsar site , In 1983 Kooragang Nature Reserve was formed. In 1993 Kooragang Wetlands Rehabilitation Project was founded. In 1827 Alexander Walker Scott purchased 2,560 acres of land. In 1846 Scott moved his wife Harriet Calcott, step daughter Mary Ann and daughter Helena and Harriet from Sydney . Harriet Scott was 16 and her sister was 14 when they moved from Sydney to Ash Island. They were both famous artists with majority of their letters
1260-431: The coal depot at Blackwattle Bay . In Hexham's later days as a port, ships sometimes ran aground travelling from Hexham. Milk was also transported by small boats to the Hunter Valley Dairy Co-operative factory after it was opened at Hexham in 1927. Hexham's central location, with ready access to river, road and rail transport, has made it a key crossroads in the lower Hunter and influenced its industries. Originally it
1305-543: The coal loader closed. Ship loading at the J & A Brown shiploader ended on 1 November 1967. The last ship loaded was the MV Stephen Brown . A shiploader served by road adjacent the road bridge over the Hunter River - Coquun was constructed by J & A Brown Abermain Seaham Collieries Ltd at their Hexham Engineering Workshops in 1959 for RW Miller . After the merger of RW Miller with Coal & Allied in
1350-447: The eastern part of the suburb, on Kooragang Island. Kooragang is dominated by Kooragang Island, which was created by reclaiming land, combining a number of smaller islands in the Hunter River estuary. The original islands were separated by mud flats and various channels and were first explored and surveyed by Europeans in 1801. Larger islands included Ash Island, Upper Moscheto, Moscheto Island, Dempsey Island, and Spit Island. Ash Island
1395-438: The first instance, decisions about the names and boundaries of suburbs and localities are made by the local council in which they are located based on criteria such as community recognition. Local council decisions are, however, subject to approval by the state's geographical names board. The boundaries of some suburbs and localities overlap two or more local government areas (LGAs). Examples of this are Adamstown Heights , which
Kooragang - Misplaced Pages Continue
1440-561: The mid-1980s, it was used by Coal & Allied to load coal washed at the Hexham Coal Washery destined for Sydney . This loader was closed in 1988 after the closure of the Hexham Coal Washery., The last ship to load there – and after 138 years, the last to load coal at Hexham – was the MV Camira in May 1988. and the loader was dismantled soon afterwards.. Another timber wharf was located on
1485-652: The national average of 66.9%. The mosquito species Ochlerotatus alternans is common in the area and adults, famed for their size and ferocity, are referred to as "Hexham Greys". The most famous Hexham Grey is "Ossie the Mossie", (sometimes spelled as "Ozzie the Mozzie") a large model of a mosquito that sits atop the Hexham Bowling Club sign at the corner of the Pacific Highway and Old Maitland Road in Hexham. The Hexham Bowling Club's "retired" bowlers are affectionately known as
1530-530: The river bank and conveyors across the railway and highway to expedite loading. The loader was closed in 1972 and demolished during 1976. The MV Hexham Bank was the last ship to be loaded at the Peko-Wallsend loader in November 1971, The wharf was demolished by the 1990s. The ships serving Hexham were small and known as 60 milers , based on the distance they travelled to Sydney carrying coal for gas-making or to
1575-788: The south bank about 600 m (1,969 ft) upstream from the current bridges across the Hunter River - Coquun. This was near the Wheatsheaf Hotel, once operated by John Hannell, whose tomb is nearby. The loader was built in 1935 for the Hetton Bellbird Collieries and was sold to the Newcastle Wallsend Coal Company in 1956. It was supplied via the South Maitland Railway up to the East Greta Exchange Sidings (near Maitland) and from there via
1620-408: The suburb. Kooragang extends from Stockton in the southeast, to the eastern bridge at Hexham in the northwest, a distance of 12.4 km (7.7 mi). Except for a small portion of land in Hexham, the north and south arms of the Hunter River forms Kooragang's borders. At its greatest, the suburb is approximately 3.8 km (2.4 mi) from southwest – northeast. Vehicular access to Kooragang
1665-404: The time of settlement. The history of Hexham is closely associated with that of the nearby suburbs of Tarro (originally Upper Hexham), Ash Island , Tomago and Minmi . Hexham measures approximately 6.7 km (4.2 mi) from north to south and 6 km (3.7 mi) from east to west, covering an area of 18.7 square kilometres (7.2 sq mi). The suburb is bordered to the east by
1710-478: The zone residential development is confined to 3 small areas measuring only 0.137 square kilometres (0.053 sq mi) in total. On Maitland Road there is Hexham Park which has a number of facilities including a cricket pitch, rugby union field, lights, amenities and a grandstand. Hexham is located at the junction of the Pacific Highway to Brisbane via the coastal route, the New England Highway and
1755-573: Was a site of farming by the Sparke family. As a crossroads, hotels soon followed, with three in operation in the 1800s: the Wheatsheaf, Hexham and Travellers Rest. Later it was a key locality for coal loading by J & A Brown and the Bellbird-Hetton Colliery. With coal loading came coal washeries and engineering workshops. Its central location was again important to the establishment in 1927 of
1800-427: Was built in 1952 with a centre lifting span so small ships could travel to this wharf. (Similarly, the Stockton Bridge further downstream was built with a high arch so ships could travel upstream to Hexham by the north channel of the Hunter River - Coquun to load coal at Hexham.) This loader was later taken over by Peko-Wallsend in the 1960s, which also built six 610 t (600 long tons) coal silos (painted green) on
1845-495: Was loading cargoes of up to 610 t (600 long tons) at a rate of 1,016 t (1,000 long tons) per day. Coal for ships with larger cargos was sent from Hexham to other ports using the government rail line. There was a large rail yard called the Hexham Exchange Sidings to allow J & A Brown coal trains to be taken over the government line to Carrington. The Hexham Coal Washery, opened in 1953, remained operating after
Kooragang - Misplaced Pages Continue
1890-603: Was located on the south bank, downstream of the first Hexham bridge. This was originally used by J & A Brown from the mid-1800s to load coal brought by train from Minimi across Hexham Swamp - Burraghihnbihng. As J & A Brown's operations expanded coal was loaded at this wharf from their other coal mines. Coal arrived via the Richmond Vale Railway and a right-angle crossing (across the Main North government line) from 1856 until November 1967. Around 1890, this facility
1935-466: Was made to increase capacity by building a second bridge for all northbound traffic. This concrete high-level fixed bridge was built just upstream of the original bridge (converted to carry southbound traffic only) and was opened in August 1987. Hexham has its own railway station on the Main Northern railway line , served by an hourly NSW TrainLink service between Newcastle and Maitland / Telarah for
1980-458: Was once a riverport of some importance in the lower Hunter and was known as Port Hunter, dual named Yohaaba. In the colonial days travellers from Newcastle to Maitland could travel to Hexham by boat and then disembark to travel by road to Maitland via Upper Hexham ( Tarro ), Four Mile Creek and Green Hills, the road being more direct than the river which had many bends after Raymond Terrace . Coal loading at Hexham began about 1850. One timber wharf
2025-450: Was the largest of the islands, named because of the Ash trees that grew upon it. By 1821, much of Ash and other timber on the island had been harvested. In 1827 Alexander Scott was granted 1,036 ha (2,560 acres) of land there. After settling on the island in 1831, it grew as a community with many visitors. The original wooden bridge linking the island to the mainland was eventually replaced with
#914085