Royal Newcastle Hospital
Encyclopedia
The Royal Newcastle Hospital was, for nearly 190 years, the main hospital in the Australia
n city of Newcastle
. The hospital stood on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Hunter River port of Newcastle, New South Wales, from 1817 until 2007. The hospital grew in step with Newcastle from its founding as a penal settlement and coal port. The first hospital on the site was built by and for convicts. They were followed by generations of patients, staff and supporters who were involved with an expanding seaport hospital and its many campuses. The hospital in turn had a powerful influence on the East End of central Newcastle and portside communities and on people’s wellbeing throughout the Hunter Valley. By 2007, the year the ‘Royal’ closed, this was one of the oldest, largest and best-known hospitals in Australia.
Redevelopment of the hospital site began in 2008 and, with the exception of the North Wing (opened in 1915) and the nurses' homes, much of the site was replaced by apartments. The hospital re-opened in the Royal Newcastle Centre at the site of the John Hunter Hospital
in New Lambton Heights
.
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...
n city of Newcastle
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...
. The hospital stood on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean and the Hunter River port of Newcastle, New South Wales, from 1817 until 2007. The hospital grew in step with Newcastle from its founding as a penal settlement and coal port. The first hospital on the site was built by and for convicts. They were followed by generations of patients, staff and supporters who were involved with an expanding seaport hospital and its many campuses. The hospital in turn had a powerful influence on the East End of central Newcastle and portside communities and on people’s wellbeing throughout the Hunter Valley. By 2007, the year the ‘Royal’ closed, this was one of the oldest, largest and best-known hospitals in Australia.
Redevelopment of the hospital site began in 2008 and, with the exception of the North Wing (opened in 1915) and the nurses' homes, much of the site was replaced by apartments. The hospital re-opened in the Royal Newcastle Centre at the site of the John Hunter Hospital
John Hunter Hospital
The John Hunter Hospital is the principal referral centre and a community hospital for Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Northern New South Wales. It is the main teaching hospital of the University of Newcastle...
in New Lambton Heights
New Lambton Heights, New South Wales
New Lambton Heights is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located west of Newcastle's central business district. It is split between the City of Lake Macquarie and City of Newcastle local government areas....
.