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Historical Maitland in the Hunter Valley

Maitland Sign

Maitland

Situated on the Hunter River approximately 166 kilometres by road north of Sydney and 35 kilometres north-west of Newcastle, Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales. Located on the New England Highway, it is easy to get to and its heritage and proximity to the Hunter Valley vineyards makes it worth visiting.

The Levee

Running parallel to the Hunter River and encircled by Ken Tubman Drive, The Levee is a hive of activity. It offers a range of entertainment and dining options, a blend of small business and national retail stores. Professional services such as banks, solicitors and accountants are also located here.

Buildings

The city has several historic buildings, and many others with interesting architecture, making them worth searching out. Several excellent walks can be found here, downloadable as PDFs.

Maitland Railway Station

The railway reached Maitland in 1858, having reached East Maitland in 1957. This resulted in the building of the current Italianate style building being built in the 1880s.

This building can be viewed from the carpark, or for a different perspective, climb the pedestrian overpass. This allows you to see it from above, where you can see the top of the building more clearly.

Railway Station
Railway Station

Maitland Post Office

Constructed in 1881 and designed by the Colonial Architect James Barnet, the Maitland post office is an example of Victorian Italianate design of stucco on brick. This is characteristic of Barnet’s work, making it a fantastic attraction in the centre of the city.

Old Bank of Australasia Building

Built in 1869 and opened on 1st January 1870, this was the third bank constructed in High Street. The design of this building is one of the few colonial examples of Byzantine architecture and is significant for the skilful use of the curve and upper floor verandah. Although substantially altered, it still exhibits many original features making it significant.

Old ANZ Bank Building
Old ANZ Bank Building

St. Mary’s Church

Opened in 1867, St. Mary’s Church has a magnificent stone spire which is a landmark in the town and surrounding area. The building is a fine example of High Victorian Style Gothic architecture. Designed by the celebrated architect Edmund Blackett the building has excellent stone tracery windows and detailing, exhibiting craftsmanship of the highest order.

St Mary's Anglican Church
St Mary’s Anglican Church

Old Synagogue

Ceasing as a place of worship in 1898 the old Synagogue was the first of its kind in Australia. Designed by renowned local architect, John W. Pender it is a simple Victorian Romanesque building. Constructed in 1879 it subsequently served as a co-educational school until 1928, a meeting hall and is now, after restoration, used as a Credit Union office and shopfront.

Former Maitland Synagogue
Former Synagogue

Heritage Mall

Constructed as a Bicentennial Project in 1988 The Heritage Mall in the main commercial centre of Maitland contains many building styles. Best viewed by walking down the centre of the Mall, the history of many buildings can be viewed on their upper floors above the awnings

Johnston's Boot Store Facade
Johnston’s Boot Store Facade
Old Building Facades
Old Building Facades

Courthouse

Designed during the transition of Victorian and Federation periods, the Maitland Courthouse is an outstanding building. Designed by Walter Liberty Vernon and built in 1895-96, it is Federation Free Classical in style and detailing, using typical Federation materials such as face red brick with contrasting sandstone trim.

Maitland Courthouse
Maitland Courthouse
Street by the Court House
Street by the Court House

Steamfest

Established in 1986, Steamfest pays homage to an industrial steam era and the men and women involved in its operation.

The heart and soul of Steamfest is its impressive assembly of steam trains. While there you can take a ride on one of the many unique train trips visiting various Hunter destinations or simply wander around and enjoy the displays.

Read our full story and see our pictures of Steamfest here.

Our photos are available for purchase on

To see what else there is to do in the Hunter Valley, please see some of our other stories.

Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie

The First Gallery Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie

Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie

The Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie, formerly known as Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery, was established in 1980. First housed in Lake Macquarie’s former council chambers on Main Road at Speers Point, the gallery relocated to First Street, Booragul in 1996.

The gallery originally occupied Awaba House on this site from 1996 to 2000 when a decision was made to construct the new state-of-the-art facility. At the time we visited there had been a fire and Awaba House had been extensively damaged. Launched in May 2001 the new art gallery building saw the addition of an art seminar room in 2008. In 2019, a further expansion provided additional gallery space.

Entrance to MAC
Entrance to Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie

How to Get There

Located at First Street, Booragul, the gallery overlooks Lake Macquarie, providing great views in a relaxing setting. A small car park next to the gallery is convenient, however, if this is full more is available on-street nearby.

Sculpture Park

Located on 5 hectares between the gallery and lakeshore, the Sculpture Park includes work by local and national artists. Launched in 1996, the sculpture park has continued to develop and currently comprises 16 sculptures by 11 artists.

We spent some time walking around the sculptures before entering the gallery.

Museum of Art and Culture Lake Macquarie Collection

Comprised of four focus areas, the Visual Arts Collection includes works by highly-regarded national, international and Hunter-based artists.

The collection has a core group of works by established contemporary Australian artists. This includes a number of works by Sir William Dobell, large-scale contemporary sculptures and Indigenous works.

We loved walking around the gallery, because it has great diversity for such a small venue. We found it had a lot to offer and enjoyed our time there. With works ranging from Sir William Dobell to contemporary artists, the collection is worth the visit.

Coffee Shop

Sculpture Cafe is a licensed venue and offers morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea. Seating is both inside and on the deck overlooking the Sculpture Park and the lake. We enjoyed morning tea on the deck because of the wonderful views.

View From the Cafe
View From the Cafe

What Did We Think?

We enjoyed our visit because of the diverse range of art on display. The outdoor park was fun to walk around, while the quality works inside were amazing. To add to this was the wonderful location of the coffee shop with its great views.

Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre

Part of the Max Watters Collection on Display

Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre

Located on the corner of Bridge and William Streets in the School of Arts building, the Muswellbrook Regional Arts Centre houses a large collection of local national and international artists. The Muswellbrook School of Arts building is worth admiring because of its architectural beauty.

Entry to the centre is free and the friendly staff on the front counter will explain what is currently on display.

During our visit, we were lucky to have the 2019 Archibald Prize being displayed, which gave us an opportunity to admire that years winners. The Young Archies were also available for viewing, with artwork from young Australians on display.

Local artist Max Watters had several of his works on display, with the Centre holding many more of this art in storage. With the Archibald paintings taking up significant galley space, many pieces from the Centre’s collection were in temporary storage. This was a small price to pay however, to be able to see these other great paintings.

School of Arts Muswellbrook NSW Australia
School of Arts
Tjuparntarri – Women’s Business by David Darcy
Tjuparntarri – Women’s Business by David Darcy
White Shells, Black Heart by Blak Douglas
White Shells, Black Heart by Blak Douglas
Art and War by Anh Do
Art and War by Anh Do
Through The Looking Glass the 2019 Archibald Packing Room Prize by Tessa MacKay
Through The Looking Glass the 2019 Archibald Packing Room Prize by Tessa MacKay
Part of the Max Watters Collection on Display
Part of the Max Watters Collection on Display
Part of the Max Watters Collection on Display
Part of the Max Watters Collection on Display

Upper Hunter Valley Sculpture Trail

Outside the Centre, is the ANZAC Centenary Stone, which forms the start of the Upper Hunter Valley Sculpture Trail. A sign next to the sculpture explains the trail and what is to be found at each location. See our post on the Sculpture Trail if you want to learn more about it.

What Did We Think?

With the bonus of seeing the Archibald Prize, we really enjoyed our visit. There was a great selection of local artists, that would only be better, when the gallery space taken up by the touring exhibition is available. The Arts Centre often has visiting exhibitions on display so check to see what’s on display before you visit.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

Our photos are available for purchase on