Merewether, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Merewether is a suburb of Newcastle
, New South Wales
, Australia
, located 3 km (2 mi) from Newcastle's central business district
with a population of around 10,000. The suburb stretches 3 km (2 mi) from Merewether Beach in the east to Adamstown
in the west.
in 1890. In 1891 the Census gave the population as 4,700. Merewether was incorporated as a Municipality
in 1885, covering 1110 acre (4.5 km²) and 31 km (19 mi) of streets. The Mayor in 1901 was David Lloyd, a funeral director who resided in Railway Street. The former Council Chambers, opposite the Post Office, are today the clubhouse of the Australian Returned Services League. In 1938 an Act of the New South Wales Parliament created a "City of Greater Newcastle", incorporating 11 municipalities into one local government area, including Merewether.
through the suburb of Cook's Hill, to The Junction, past its school then up Merewether Street embankment crossing Llewellyn, Caldwell & Ridge Streets, past the telephone exchange, up Morgan Street, crossing Yule Road to the Newcastle Coal Mining Company's colliery complex. The privately operated railway included Australia's first 2 railway tunnels, built in 1861 & 1862 respectfully, that were cut under Merewether Bluff.
The Happy Valley Colliery (tunnel), opposite Rowan Street, and worked by the Maheen family, also closed about the same time.
Coal mining also took place to the south of Merewether at Murdering Gully, on Burwood Beach. That area is now part of the Glenrock
State Conservation Area. Access to this colliery was via a railway which ran from The Junction past Merewether Beach and through two tunnels directly above the Ocean Baths. This colliery, consisting of a number of tunnels which fed a large coal loader above the beach, closed down during the 1949 miners' strike and did not reopen.
Merewether also once had extensive pottery works and brickyards, the last to close being Hughes' Pottery, opposite The Junction School, in the last two decades of the 20th century.
The suburb of Merewether includes some of Newcastle's most famous beaches. Dixon Park Beach leads south onto Merewether Beach and a little further to the small Ladys Beach and the more isolated Burwood Beach which leads to Glenrock Lagoon
. At the southern end of Merewether Beach are the Merewether Ocean Baths, the largest ocean baths in the Southern Hemisphere
. Merewether Beach is home to Merewether SLSC the oldest lifesaving club in the Hunter Region and the Merewether Surfboard Club the most successful boardriders club in Australia
In 2006, organisers of Newcastle Surfest
announced that the competition would be moving from Newcastle Beach to Merewether Beach, in order to capitalise on the beaches superior surfing conditions, caused by the rock bottom of the beach, compared to the mud bottom of Newcastle Beach.
Professional Surfer Mark Richards
is a resident of Merewether.
There are two primary schools in the suburb - Merewether Public [State] School in Henry Street at the Glebe and the Catholic Holy Family Primary School in Janet Street. Two more, Merewether Heights Public School on Scenic Drive and The Junction Public School (founded in 1872) are located in Merewether Heights
and The Junction
respectively, on the borders that those suburbs share with Merewether. Pupils from the schools feed into the secondary schools of Newcastle High School
, the Catholic St Pius X college at Adamstown or the Anglican-affiliated Newcastle Grammar School. Merewether High School, an academic selective public school, is actually located 600 m (1,969 ft) from Merewether in the suburb of Broadmeadow
.
Merewether, once served by electric tramways to the city, and today by buses, has excellent road connections to all sections of Newcastle and the major highways which serve it. Merewether's oldest mansion is Hillcrest, originally the residence of the Merewether family. Above it is the Scenic Drive with many expensive 'modern' homes, which date from the late 1950s upwards, with spectacular views.
Following 18 months construction, Merewether Bowling Club, with one green, was opened on 6 February 1954 upon a long-closed old colliery west of the railway line, in Caldwell Street. Following the closure of the railway in 1960 the land it occupied next to the club was purchased and another green established, and on Sunday 12 February 1967, Club President Wallace Frost opened the "magnificent" and extensive new Club House which had cost $100,000 dollars.
At Merewether is the Lingard Private Hospital, in the lower part of Merewether Street.
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, located 3 km (2 mi) from Newcastle's central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
with a population of around 10,000. The suburb stretches 3 km (2 mi) from Merewether Beach in the east to Adamstown
Adamstown, New South Wales
Adamstown is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district. It is part of the City of Newcastle local government area....
in the west.
Establishment
Merewether was originally part of the Burwood Estate, and takes its name from the owner, Edward Christopher Merewether. The Church of England parish church is St.Augustine, in Llewellyn Street, the land and cost of erection met by Mr. Edward Merewether. It became the centre of a new Provisional District in the Diocese of NewcastleAnglican Diocese of Newcastle, Australia
The Anglican Diocese of Newcastle, Australia is located in the state of New South Wales and extends along the coast of New South Wales from Woy Woy to Laurieton and inland to Merriwa and Murrurundi. The cathedral church of the diocese is Christ Church Cathedral in Newcastle. The current Bishop of...
in 1890. In 1891 the Census gave the population as 4,700. Merewether was incorporated as a Municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in 1885, covering 1110 acre (4.5 km²) and 31 km (19 mi) of streets. The Mayor in 1901 was David Lloyd, a funeral director who resided in Railway Street. The former Council Chambers, opposite the Post Office, are today the clubhouse of the Australian Returned Services League. In 1938 an Act of the New South Wales Parliament created a "City of Greater Newcastle", incorporating 11 municipalities into one local government area, including Merewether.
Industries
The dominant industry within the old municipality was coal mining, with the last colliery, at Glebe, not closing until 1959 due to an industry slump. This was served by a railway which left the main Government line in the city centre, crossed the main Hunter Street, passed down the centre of Burwood Street, crossed Newcastle's Civic Park, passed under Laman Street and continued along its own permanent wayPermanent way
The permanent way is the elements of railway lines: generally the pairs of rails typically laid on the sleepers embedded in ballast, intended to carry the ordinary trains of a railway...
through the suburb of Cook's Hill, to The Junction, past its school then up Merewether Street embankment crossing Llewellyn, Caldwell & Ridge Streets, past the telephone exchange, up Morgan Street, crossing Yule Road to the Newcastle Coal Mining Company's colliery complex. The privately operated railway included Australia's first 2 railway tunnels, built in 1861 & 1862 respectfully, that were cut under Merewether Bluff.
The Happy Valley Colliery (tunnel), opposite Rowan Street, and worked by the Maheen family, also closed about the same time.
Coal mining also took place to the south of Merewether at Murdering Gully, on Burwood Beach. That area is now part of the Glenrock
Glenrock Lagoon
Glenrock Lagoon is located south-west of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The catchment area is bounded by the following catchment areas, Murdering Gully to the north east, Throsby Creek, Hunter Valley to the north and north west, Winding Creek, Lake Macquarie to the west, Dicks Creek and...
State Conservation Area. Access to this colliery was via a railway which ran from The Junction past Merewether Beach and through two tunnels directly above the Ocean Baths. This colliery, consisting of a number of tunnels which fed a large coal loader above the beach, closed down during the 1949 miners' strike and did not reopen.
Merewether also once had extensive pottery works and brickyards, the last to close being Hughes' Pottery, opposite The Junction School, in the last two decades of the 20th century.
Beaches
Glenrock Lagoon
Glenrock Lagoon is located south-west of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The catchment area is bounded by the following catchment areas, Murdering Gully to the north east, Throsby Creek, Hunter Valley to the north and north west, Winding Creek, Lake Macquarie to the west, Dicks Creek and...
. At the southern end of Merewether Beach are the Merewether Ocean Baths, the largest ocean baths in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
. Merewether Beach is home to Merewether SLSC the oldest lifesaving club in the Hunter Region and the Merewether Surfboard Club the most successful boardriders club in Australia
In 2006, organisers of Newcastle Surfest
Surfest
Surfest is an annual surfing competition held in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Surfest began in 1985 as an initiative of Newcastle City Council, and at the time, was the world's richest surfing competition...
announced that the competition would be moving from Newcastle Beach to Merewether Beach, in order to capitalise on the beaches superior surfing conditions, caused by the rock bottom of the beach, compared to the mud bottom of Newcastle Beach.
Professional Surfer Mark Richards
Mark Richards (surfer)
Mark Richards , known as MR, is an Australian surfer, five time world champion , and highly respected by his peers.In 2000 Mark was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his service to Surf Riding.- Youth :...
is a resident of Merewether.
Education
Merewether Heights, New South Wales
Merewether Heights is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located southwest of Newcastle's central business district near the Glenrock State Recreation Area. It is part of the City of Newcastle local government area....
and The Junction
The Junction, New South Wales
The Junction is a small, inner city suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located southwest of Newcastle's central business district...
respectively, on the borders that those suburbs share with Merewether. Pupils from the schools feed into the secondary schools of Newcastle High School
Newcastle High School (Australia)
Newcastle High School is a state run high school located in Newcastle West—a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia–with an enrolment of approximately 1,000 students....
, the Catholic St Pius X college at Adamstown or the Anglican-affiliated Newcastle Grammar School. Merewether High School, an academic selective public school, is actually located 600 m (1,969 ft) from Merewether in the suburb of Broadmeadow
Broadmeadow, New South Wales
Broadmeadow is the geographic centre of Newcastle city. Its main commercial hub is located at the “Nineways”.-Origins:Broadmeadow was originally part of the Newcastle Pasturage Reserve of 648 hectares...
.
General
At Merewether is the Lingard Private Hospital, in the lower part of Merewether Street.