We know heritage is deeply valued by our community, which is why we have developed a new thematic history to better understand, protect and celebrate the stories and events, people and places, beliefs and cultural practices that shape Newcastle’s cultural identity.

The draft Newcastle Thematic History is a technical background study that will inform future projects, including subsequent stages of the Newcastle City-wide Heritage Study.

A thematic history provides a broad historical context for understanding the patterns and forces that shaped an area over time while identifying locally distinctive themes to structure the history, rather than listing events in order of occurrence.

The development of the thematic history aligns with Heritage NSW’s Historical Themes. Our locally distinctive themes are:

  • Saltwater and Sandstone
  • Always Was, Always Will Be
  • Convicts, Coal and Cedar
  • Blood, Sweat and Tears
  • Shipping, Rail and Road
  • Homes for the People
  • Radical Newcastle
  • Newcastle Now

We’ve shaped these themes over the last year, which helped us marshal our extensive historical research.

It was refined by working with local Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal stakeholder groups including our Traditional Custodians, Traditional Knowledge Holders, Guraki Aboriginal Standing Committee, City of Newcastle’s Local History Library and Museum, and University of Newcastle’s Hunter Living Histories Group, to ensure it reflects a broad range of cultural, historical and community perspectives.

The new history updates and supersedes the original Newcastle City-wide Heritage Study Thematic History, 1996/7.

Take a look at our album below which showcases each theme through historical images.

Thanks for having your say

We sought your feedback from 15 September to 13 October 2025.

Community feedback on the technical content will help the team refine our historical research and finalise the document.

By understanding our past, we can better protect and celebrate our cultural heritage for current and future generations.


Next steps

We are reviewing submissions received during the exhibition period. A summary of submissions will be included in a report to Council, along with the finalised Newcastle Thematic History, in 2026.

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