West Wallsend, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
West Wallsend is a suburb and small town in the City of Lake Macquarie in New South Wales
, Australia
. It is located near the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway
, not far from the western suburbs of Newcastle
.
West Wallsend's origins are in coal mining, the main concern being West Wallsend Colliery, from whose boundaries the old town grew. The West Wallsend Coal Company was formed in 1885 with a capital of £90,000 sterling. It secured 2972 acres (12.03 km²) of freehold land at and around where the township now stands. A shaft of 492 feet (150 m) in depth serviced the Borehole seam of almost 5 feet (1.5 m) in thickness.
The coal was shipped by the West Wallsend Coal Company's private railway (which later had several branch line extensions to Seahampton
, Fairley, and Killingworth
) via Cockle Creek junction
onto the government's main north-south line. An Act of Parliament was passed on August 27, 1886, for the construction of the line and an Amendment passed on July 13, 1887 permitted its connection to the government system. The original line had cost over £16,000 pounds sterling, and at Cockle Creek there were seven sets of sidings to handle the output of the collieries which used the line.
At the time of the opening, on July 3, 1888, it was estimated West Wallsend Colliery would produce up to 200,000 tons of coal a year. In 1895 Caledonian Collieries Limited purchased the company, its collieries, and the railway.
During the industry slump in 1923 it was announced that West Wallsend Colliery would close, raising questions in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
. Regardless of massive reserves, the mine closed on September 14, 1923, 5,376,410 tons of coal having been extracted in its relatively short period of operations - 35 years.
A passenger service also once operated between Cockle Creek and West Wallsend, the latter having a fully manned station where tickets could be purchased to anywhere in the State which had a railway connection. The last passenger service to West Wallsend ran on 13 January 1930, and the line between Seahampton, West Wallsend, and the Fairley (Seaham No.2 Colliery) Junction closed on 26 November 1938. When Seaham No.2 closed in 1945 the only portion of the railway which continued in use, until 1962, was to Killingworth.
One mine still operates in the district but its coal is shipped by road.
where there was a large shopping district and where it also connected with the electric trams which ran into Newcastle
.
, which elects one member to the Australian House of Representatives
. The current member, as of the 2007 federal election, is Australian Labor Party
member Greg Combet
, former secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions
. At state level, after a redistribution in 2006, West Wallsend moved from the Lake Macquarie
electorate to the Cessnock
electorate, whose member is Australian Labor Party member Kerry Hickey
.
The booth at West Wallsend is considered very safe for the Labor Party.
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...
. It is located near the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway
Sydney-Newcastle Freeway
The Sydney-Newcastle Freeway is a stretch of motorway linking Sydney to the Central Coast, Newcastle and Hunter regions of New South Wales. It is part of the AusLink road corridor between Sydney and Brisbane, carrying the route designation....
, not far from the western suburbs 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...
.
Coal & railways
The coal was shipped by the West Wallsend Coal Company's private railway (which later had several branch line extensions to Seahampton
Seahampton, New South Wales
Seahampton is a hamlet situated north of West Wallsend, New South Wales, Australia, located west of the city of Newcastle's central business district and west of the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway. It is regarded as a suburb of the City of Lake Macquarie local government area.Seahampton's origins are in...
, Fairley, and Killingworth
Killingworth, New South Wales
Killingworth is a small town located south of West Wallsend, New South Wales and west of the Sydney-Newcastle Freeway. It is part of the West Ward of the City of Lake Macquarie local government area, and Ward 'D' of the City of Cessnock.-History:...
) via Cockle Creek junction
Cockle Creek railway station, New South Wales
-Transport links:Newcastle Buses runs one route via Cockle Creek railway station:*Route 363 - Between Belmont and Newcastle Station.Toronto Bus Services runs two routes via Cockle Creek railway station:*Route 270 - Between Industries and Toronto West....
onto the government's main north-south line. An Act of Parliament was passed on August 27, 1886, for the construction of the line and an Amendment passed on July 13, 1887 permitted its connection to the government system. The original line had cost over £16,000 pounds sterling, and at Cockle Creek there were seven sets of sidings to handle the output of the collieries which used the line.
At the time of the opening, on July 3, 1888, it was estimated West Wallsend Colliery would produce up to 200,000 tons of coal a year. In 1895 Caledonian Collieries Limited purchased the company, its collieries, and the railway.
During the industry slump in 1923 it was announced that West Wallsend Colliery would close, raising questions in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
. Regardless of massive reserves, the mine closed on September 14, 1923, 5,376,410 tons of coal having been extracted in its relatively short period of operations - 35 years.
A passenger service also once operated between Cockle Creek and West Wallsend, the latter having a fully manned station where tickets could be purchased to anywhere in the State which had a railway connection. The last passenger service to West Wallsend ran on 13 January 1930, and the line between Seahampton, West Wallsend, and the Fairley (Seaham No.2 Colliery) Junction closed on 26 November 1938. When Seaham No.2 closed in 1945 the only portion of the railway which continued in use, until 1962, was to Killingworth.
One mine still operates in the district but its coal is shipped by road.
Transport
In the early years of the 20th century, a steam tram service operated from West Wallsend via Young Wallsend to WallsendWallsend, New South Wales
Wallsend is a western 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.- Origins :...
where there was a large shopping district and where it also connected with the electric trams which ran into 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...
.
Politics
West Wallsend is located in the federal Division of CharltonDivision of Charlton
The Division of Charlton is an Australian Electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1984 and is named for Matthew Charlton, who was Leader of the Australian Labor Party 1922-28. It is located in the Hunter Valley area of New South Wales, including the coal-mining towns of...
, which elects one member to the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
. The current member, as of the 2007 federal election, is Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
member Greg Combet
Greg Combet
Gregory Ivan Combet AM MP is an Australian politician and trade unionist. He was Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions between 2000 and 2007...
, former secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions
Australian Council of Trade Unions
The Australian Council of Trade Unions is the largest peak body representing workers in Australia. It is a national trade union centre of 46 affiliated unions.-History:The ACTU was formed in 1927 as the "Australian Council of Trade Unions"...
. At state level, after a redistribution in 2006, West Wallsend moved from the Lake Macquarie
Electoral district of Lake Macquarie
Lake Macquarie is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Hunter region of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is currently represented by the independent Greg Piper.-Members for Lake Macquarie:-Election results:...
electorate to the Cessnock
Electoral district of Cessnock
Cessnock is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales in the rural fringe of the Hunter. It is represented by Clayton Barr of the Australian Labor Party.-History:...
electorate, whose member is Australian Labor Party member Kerry Hickey
Kerry Hickey
Kerry Arthur Hickey , a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Cessnock between 1999 and 2011 for the Australian Labor Party....
.
The booth at West Wallsend is considered very safe for the Labor Party.