Category: Newcastle News

Sourdough making classes, quirky art workshops and sight-seeing bike rides with a twist will be served up to tourists as part of a push to expand Newcastle’s tourism experiences.
Fifteen Newcastle businesses have been supported by City of Newcastle to develop and promote new products and experiences to a wider market under its Product Mentoring Development Program.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said increasing the number of bespoke bookable experiences in Newcastle is one of the priority initiatives under the City’s Destination Management Plan.
“Consultation with industry and experts during the development of our Destination Management Plan identified that Newcastle was lacking bookable tourism products and experiences, which are vital to sustaining and growing Newcastle’s visitor economy,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Our Product Development Mentoring Program provided 15 local businesses with training and business to business mentoring on how to develop tourism products that leveraged Newcastle’s unique offering in a way that would appeal to visitors from outside the region and abroad.
“The results have been fantastic, with new tourism products including the launch of a new business called Newy Rides. Other beneficiaries such as Baked Uprising and Mitch Revs Gallery explored new opportunities in the tourism market to enhance their core offerings. Urban Hum refined their tourism experience while other businesses have expanded their operations, employed new staff and relaunched products, which were put on hold by COVID-19.
“City of Newcastle has contributed $150,000 to these 15 local businesses to help them better prepare to meet visitor demands now and in the future.”
Cr Nelmes said program facilitators, Sparrowly Group, will provide another 10 businesses with training with funding from City of Newcastle’s NewSkills Program.
“Investing in the tourism industry is about building a thriving, diverse and robust economy, while also helping to reposition Newcastle as a premier tourism destination with focuses on events, experiences, natural assets and cultural heritage,” Cr Nelmes said.
The 15 participants in the initial program are:

• Baked Uprising
• Blackbutt Reserve
• Christ Church Cathedral
• CoastXP
• Earp Distilling Co
• Mitch Revs Gallery
• Newcastle Afoot
• Newcastle Backroad Tours
• Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club
• Newcastle Ghost Tours
• Newy Rides
• Nova Cruises
• The Lock-Up
• Underground Epicureans
• Urban Hum.

Kyle Liston from Baked Uprising said the program provided an invaluable insight into the opportunities available from the visitor economy as a non-traditional tourism operator.
“We’d never really thought of ourselves in the tourism market before, but this program allowed us to broaden our focus to think about the business in a different way,” Kyle said.
“Food tourism is a growing market in Newcastle’s offering as a destination. The program gave us the knowledge and confidence to develop a range of new experiences to be introduced in the future, from sourdough making workshops to intimate interactive experiences, showcasing Newcastle’s heart and soul as a city of makers, which in turn will encourage our customers to not only come back but bring their friends and visitors with them.”
To find out more, City of Newcastle have produced a two-minute video of the Product Development Mentoring Program.

A former Bunnings warehouse in Lake Macquarie will be transformed into the NSW Government’s second mass vaccination centre, further boosting the vaccine rollout across the state.
The mass vaccination centre will be located at 393 Pacific Hwy, Belmont with around 150 people to work on converting the site over six weeks.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the centre would have the capacity to administer up to 20,000 vaccines per week and is expected to open in mid-July.
“Our mass vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park has been a huge success, vaccinating more than 5,000 people a day already,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We are planning to replicate that model in the Hunter region, so we can quickly and safely vaccinate as many people as possible across NSW.”
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the centre would employ up to 100 nurses, 25 pharmacists or pharmacy technicians plus around 200 other support staff.
“The Newcastle community and indeed everyone across the Hunter New England Local Health District has been outstanding in presenting for COVID testing to help keep their loved ones safe,” Mr Hazzard said.
“More than half a million people to date have fronted for testing, so I am confident the community will register online to get vaccinated at this new centre, or with their GP, and encourage others to do the same.”
Michael DiRienzo, Chief Executive, Hunter New England Local Health District said he was delighted to host the state’s second mass vaccination centre in the Hunter.
“I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of our staff, and all the contractors, who are helping us to deliver this vaccination centre,” Mr DiRienzo said.
“It is no small task to transform an empty warehouse into a vaccination centre capable of inoculating thousands every day. It’s a great service you’re doing for our community.”
The Centre will administer both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccine, with bookings required.

City of Newcastle has engaged specialists to carry out an updated flood study of the Throsby, Styx, and Cottage Creek catchments, to enhance current floodplain management and mitigate future flood risks.
The aim of early engagement is to inform the community of the study, identify concerns, and to build on the existing depth of knowledge about flooding in Newcastle by talking to flood affected residents, businesses, and community groups.
Newcastle Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen said City of Newcastle is committed to building flood resilient communities for current and future generations and encourages the community to share their personal experiences of flooding in their local area.
“The Newcastle community has experienced the impact and extent of flooding across the Local Government Area, and it is important that flood intelligence from the community is captured and included within the study,” Cr Clausen said.
“The results of the flood study will inform the Flood Risk Management Plans and improve the quality of City of Newcastle’s flood risk planning.”
“Residents, businesses, and wider community groups are urged to share their personal experiences of flooding in their local area, to deliver the best possible outcomes from the study and to enable smart floodplain management.”
The Throsby, Styx, and Cottage Creek catchments cover an area of 51 km² across the eastern half of Newcastle’s Local Government Area, generally characterised as land east of John Hunter Hospital.
“The flood study aims to define the extent, depth, velocity and flood hazard in the Throsby, Styx and Cottage Creek floodplains,” Cr Clausen said.
“These areas have a long history of flooding and are being investigated as a combined flood study. These catchments are steep around their perimeter, but drain to low-lying, flat areas, where it is difficult for floodwaters to escape.
“These catchments all drain to Newcastle Harbour leaving them prone to inundation during east coast lows when heavy rainfall combines with elevated ocean levels.
“Updating the Throsby, Styx and Cottage Creek Flood Study is the first step in updating the Flood Risk Management planning for these catchments.”
City of Newcastle has received grant funding support from the Department of Primary Industry and Environment to complete the updated Throsby, Styx, and Cottage Creek Flood Study.
Visit newcastle.nsw.gov.au/yoursay by 5pm Friday 2 July 2021 to have your say.

City of Newcastle has been recognised with two major awards at the New South Wales Local Government Awards in Sydney on Thursday evening.
The City’s COVID-19 Community and Economic Resilience Package, as well as its Community and Civic Hub, which includes the Digital Library, Council Chambers and Customer Service Centre, won first place in their respective categories.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the two awards were testament to the City’s leadership and staff’s unwavering commitment to serve and support the Newcastle community.
“The awards are an outstanding achievement and recognise City of Newcastle’s innovation and culture of continuous improvement,” Cr Nelmes said.
“City of Newcastle is leading the way with its digital transformation and ability to provide support to the community.
“The City Administration Centre’s flexible ground floor layout is a brilliant space to learn and master new digital technologies that are now available free to everyone.
“With state-of-the-art technology, the space has been designed to optimise the customer experience. Visitors flow seamlessly between Customer Service and the Digital Library and on most Tuesday nights, the space transforms into the Council Chamber. The new digitally connected Chamber has allowed the elected council to meet in hybrid formats (remotely and in-person) thanks to the new technology.
“The project has transformed the way these elements operate in a co-located environment.
“Whether people need to enquire about a DA, speak with a Customer Service representative or access the many hundreds of thousands of items in the City’s e-Library catalogue, the City Administration Centre offers a seamless experience for the community to get the most out of a visit.
“We are extremely pleased our city boasts the most digitally-advanced library in NSW for learning, whether it be for children or adults.
“I am equally proud that City of Newcastle’s Community and Economic Resilience Package was acknowledged for helping locals through the unprecedented impacts of the pandemic, especially our most vulnerable and at-risk community members.
“Among the first governments at any level to develop and activate a comprehensive plan for social and economic support, the City’s package has been acknowledged for its targeted and swift response to the needs of the community.
“Working with government and local partners, the $5.5 million response package delivered support across targeted programs at a time when it was needed most. The response included financial relief, business and community support, free online training packages and community grant programs.”
“The City’s support for small and media enterprises has been highlighted as national best practice and a model for all local governments.”

City of Newcastle is inviting interested community members to join a working group to help with the development of the City’s Coastal Management Programs.
The group will help shape plans to enhance Newcastle’s dynamic and constantly changing coastal environment which is precious to its community and those who visit.
A Coastal Management Program (CMP) is a long-term strategy that sets a coordinated and adaptive approach to the management of coastal hazards such as beach erosion, shoreline recession and coastal inundation.
City of Newcastle Deputy Lord Mayor Declan Clausen encouraged people with an interest in ensuring the coastline and estuaries are managed and protected for future generations to submit an expression of interest to join.
“We’re looking for a broad group of people who are already engaged with our beaches and coastline to help to develop ways to ensure we enjoy these natural assets for years to come,” Cr Clausen said.
“Our coastline is loved by many people and in many ways and it forms a significant part of Newcastle’s identity as a liveable and sustainable global city.
“Newcastle is fortunate to boast some of the best beaches in the world and a spectacular coastline that provides countless benefits to both our local economy and our way of life.
“Our coastal management programs include long-term actions to help ensure we can manage these important areas, particularly in light of a predicted increase in coastal hazards.
“The objective of the Newcastle CMP Working Group is to provide strategic guidance on the preparation, certification and the review of Newcastle and Stockton Coastal Management Programs which are underway.
The first meeting of the Newcastle CMP Working Group will be held next month.
The formation of the working group follows the Love Our Coast Survey, which explored what the community values most about the city’s beaches and coastline.
Community members who are keen to be involved in the future management of Newcastle’s coastline and estuaries are encouraged to submit an Expression of Interest before 19 June 2021.

The community has joined with City of Newcastle in celebration of World Environment Day by planting 5,500 native grasses, groundcovers, shrubs and trees in Jesmond this week to restore Newcastle’s urban ecosystems.
The 2021 United Nations World Environment Day’s theme of ‘Ecosystem Restoration’ has been acknowledged with community activities planned to enhance Newcastle’s urban forest.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said connecting with local school students and residents to plant a tree and learn about nature was a special way to mark the global event.
“Locals have volunteered their time and effort to create a pocket of habitat for local birds and other wildlife in Maclure Reserve, which demonstrates the value people place on greener public spaces,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Green spaces make our city ecologically richer, and a more beautiful and pleasant place to live.
“The City plants more than 300,000 tube stock each year, which makes a big contribution to restoring Newcastle’s diverse natural ecosystems.
“City of Newcastle has invested more than $1.3 million in caring for and restoring Newcastle’s bushland, creeks, wetlands, coast and estuary ecosystems so far this year and has committed $1.5 million in next year’s budget.
“Over the last four years City of Newcastle has invested $6 million in caring for our bushland, watercourse and wetland assets through design and delivery of on-ground habitat restoration works.
“In addition, the City invested $4.2 million in the street and park tree replacement planting program.
“The City cares for a wonderful array of natural ecosystems including 79 kilometres of creeks, 506 hectares of bushland, 65 wetlands, nine coastal rock platforms, 19 hectares of sand dunes along our 10 beaches, and over 90,000 street and park trees.
“These natural assets not only sustain our local biodiversity but also keep our city cool, absorb and store carbon, provide food and shelter for native wildlife, and keep our air and water clean.
“The greening of our urban landscape, by restoring urban forest areas, watercourses or wetlands has a positive impact on Newcastle and improves our community sense of wellbeing. It’s a win-win for the city.”
The urban forest planting events are another example of the City’s commitment to becoming an International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) City with Nature, recognising and enhancing the value of our natural surrounds, as well as our efforts to be a global local government leader in sustainability.
The Greater Bank partnered with City of Newcastle by donating new trees as part of its community tree planting program, which will see 20,000 additional trees established throughout Newcastle.
More community planting events are planned this month. Visit newcastle.nsw.gov.au/living for more information.

An investigation is underway after two buildings were destroyed by fire in the Hunter Valley overnight.
About 10.20pm yesterday (Friday 4 June 2021), emergency services responded to reports of a fire on a property in Morpeth Road, Morpeth.
Officers attached to Port Stephens-Hunter Police District attended and established a crime scene; the blaze was extinguished by NSW Fire and Rescue.
Two buildings on the property were destroyed in the fire, while another was badly damaged.
All buildings were unoccupied at the time.
At this stage the cause of the fire is unknown; however, it is being treated as suspicious.
As investigations continue, anyone with information is urged to contact Port Stephens-Hunter Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report information via NSW Police social media pages.

A man has been charged after two men were seriously injured in two separate assaults in the state’s Hunter region.
About 8.50pm yesterday (Friday 4 June 2021), a 23-year-old man pulled into the driveway of his Woodberry home and was confronted by a man armed with a baseball bat.
The armed man assaulted the 23-year-old with the bat as he attempted to get out of his car.
He managed to free himself and ran inside his Dalwood Street property as the armed man damaged his vehicle with the bat before running from the scene.
The man suffered a broken elbow and was treated at hospital.
About 3.40am (Saturday 5 June 2021), a 24-year-old man was found at the railway overpass bridge on Railway Parade, Beresfield, suffering serious head injuries. He was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics before being taken to John Hunter Hospital for further treatment. He remains in a stable condition.
Detectives from Port Stephens – Hunter Police District commenced inquiries into both assaults and arrested a 22-year-old man at a home on Fairfield Street, New Lambton about 2pm today (Saturday 5 June 2021).
He was taken to Waratah Police Station where he was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, wound with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and malicious damage.
He was refused bail and will be appearing in Newcastle Local Court tomorrow (Sunday 6 June 2021).
The men are all known to each other.

Newcastle households are being given the opportunity to take up home composting and reduce the amount of food waste going to landfill.
Residents will be offered a 75% discount off the recommended retail price as well as free shipping of selected composting, worm farming and bokashi fermenting products.

Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the program will be available to the public from 5 June, which is World Environment Day. This year’s theme is ecosystem restoration, focussing on resetting our relationship with nature, and home composting is a great way to do this.
“In Newcastle, around 30% of the waste in our red-lidded bins is organic and food waste. Per household we throw away an average of 135kg of food waste each year and home composting is one way we can combat this,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Composting and worm farming are both fantastic ways to recycle scraps from the kitchen while providing a rich fertiliser for the garden.
“Households with no garden, or limited space, can still get involved by choosing the compact bokashi bin, which ferments a large range of food scraps including meat, citrus and dairy, so there’s a way for everyone in the community to get involved.
“An important impact of this program will be less food waste to landfill. A recent survey of more than 500 Newcastle residents found 98% felt it was important to divert waste from landfill.
“To support this program, Newcastle Libraries will be hosting a four-part podcast series and short video series, which will help provide residents with knowledge and skills for successful home composting.”
Newcastle Local Government Area residents will be able to purchase a home composting system from the Compost Revolution website at the subsidised price and it will be delivered to their door free of charge.
Before making their purchase, residents will need to complete a simple training program either online or in person to ensure they choose the right home composting program for their household and learn how to compost successfully.
The discounted products available are:

• Dirt Vader compost bin plus compost revolver;
• The Farm worm farm plus 1,000 worms; and
• Urban Composter bokashi bin + 1L enzyme refill + scrap smasher.

“Composting, worm farming, and bokashi fermentation are positively exploding as more people discover how easy it is to make a big difference for the environment while creating their own soil and fertiliser at home,” David Gravina, CEO of the Compost Revolution, said.
“Composting is something all of us can do to turn a problem into a valuable resource while doing our bit for the planet.”
This initiative is part of a broader organics recycling plan for the City of Newcastle, which includes the construction of a commercial grade organics recycling facility at Summerhill Waste Management Centre. Once the facility is commissioned, it will allow food waste to be collected with vegetation in the organics bins. Ultimately, this new facility will produce a quality compost product from kerbside organics, which can be used as a replacement for inorganic fertilisers.
The home composting program will be launched on 5 June, with products available to purchase online. Product numbers are limited and will be on a first come, first served basis. For more information visit www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/foodwaste
This project is a NSW Environment Protection Authority, Waste Less, Recycle More initiative, which is part funded from the waste levy.
Face-to-face home composting workshops

• Monday 28 June: 10am – 12pm at Stockton Senior Citizen Hall
• Saturday 10 July: 2pm – 4pm at Hamilton South Estate Centre Care Hall
• Monday 6 September: 2pm – 4pm at Hunter Multicultural Communities Waratah
• Saturday 16 October: 2pm – 4pm at Wallsend Library