Case Study: Newcastle Convict Lumber Yard
Newcastle city, 150 kilometres north of Sydney, has a rich and diverse cultural history. GML has completed a number of strategic planning and interpretation projects that highlight the wonderful heritage of this important city.
The Convict Lumber Yard site on Newcastle’s foreshore, one of a collection of convict places of national importance, could easily have been lost if it were not for a chance find of old bricks. Although local historians knew of the site’s importance, the discovery of bricks on a patch of waste ground destined for redevelopment galvanised community support for action and ensured the preservation of the site. Following a decision by Newcastle City Council to preserve the site, GML provided conservation advice and conceived an interpretative exhibition on the site and prepared an interpretative brochure which were implemented in 1997.
In 2002 GML and Dain Simpson and Associates, tourism consultants, were then engaged by Newcastle City Council to prepare a heritage tourism plan for Newcastle East, which is one of the oldest areas of the city. This strategy addressed the value of integrating heritage sites through a heritage interpretation and tourism planning framework and was based on the hugely vibrant art and cultural environment that exists in Newcastle.
Location: Newcastle, NSW
Client: Newcastle City Council
Project Type: Interpretation and heritage tourism strategy project