Hamilton, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Hamilton is a suburb of Newcastle
, New South Wales
, Australia
, located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) from Newcastle's central business district
. The main commercial centre is located around Beaumont Street and boasts a vibrant multicultural atmosphere providing an array of restaurants, retail, fashion and commercial outlets along with day to day services such as pharmacies, banks, florists, hairdressers, fruit shops and delicatessens.
(AA Co), from August 1857 to September 1898. The AA Co. were instrumental in the growth of the area, operating the mines and owning most of the land.
The discovery of coal near St Peter's Church in the area known as Cameron's Hill, was the beginnings for the township of Hamilton (originally known as Pittown, Borehole or Happy Flat). A borehole was sunk and a shaft was completed in 1849 and was known as the D Pit, or borehole. Pittown grew up somewhere in the vicinity of today’s Beaumont street to service the needs of the miners and their families.
By 1928 there were over 400 retail outlets in Hamilton, having increased from 80 in 1909.
In 1947, Lettesi (a settler group made up of nearly 150 families from the village of Lettopalena
in the
Abruzzo
Region of Italy
), initially settled in the Islington
but they soon expanded in to the nearby suburbs of Hamilton and Mayfield
. This was primarily due to Islington's proximity to the BHP steel works. Before long Hamilton (especially Beaumont Street) was to become a strong community and commercial centre for Newcastle’s Italians. By the late fifties, the local Italian community began patronising the Australian owned Exchange Hotel, located on the corner of Beaumont and Denison Streets. It continues to be a regular meeting place for Italian men of Hamilton.
was constructed on the Islington Junction to Newcastle section of the Hunter line. The station is 164.632 km from the Way & Works Branch and is 5.8m above sea level.
With the opening of the station in 1872, the importance of Hamilton as a suburb grew.
The railway line is part of CityRail
's Newcastle-Maitland
line, the first section of the Main North line
defined as the Newcastle and Central Coast line, which runs from Sydney
to the New England
region which was opened in 1857.
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 4 kilometres (2.5 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"...
. The main commercial centre is located around Beaumont Street and boasts a vibrant multicultural atmosphere providing an array of restaurants, retail, fashion and commercial outlets along with day to day services such as pharmacies, banks, florists, hairdressers, fruit shops and delicatessens.
History
Hamilton became a municipality on 11 December 1871 and was named in honour of Edward Terrick Hamilton, who was then Governor of the board of directors of the Australian Agricultural CompanyAustralian Agricultural Company
The Australian Agricultural Company is a company which serves to improve beef cattle production through responsible natural resource and land use...
(AA Co), from August 1857 to September 1898. The AA Co. were instrumental in the growth of the area, operating the mines and owning most of the land.
The discovery of coal near St Peter's Church in the area known as Cameron's Hill, was the beginnings for the township of Hamilton (originally known as Pittown, Borehole or Happy Flat). A borehole was sunk and a shaft was completed in 1849 and was known as the D Pit, or borehole. Pittown grew up somewhere in the vicinity of today’s Beaumont street to service the needs of the miners and their families.
By 1928 there were over 400 retail outlets in Hamilton, having increased from 80 in 1909.
In 1947, Lettesi (a settler group made up of nearly 150 families from the village of Lettopalena
Lettopalena
Lettopalena is a comune and town in the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region of Italy...
in the
Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
Region of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
), initially settled in the Islington
Islington, New South Wales
Islington is a suburb of the city of Newcastle in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. Located only from the Newcastle CBD on one of Newcastle's major arterial roads, it was initially developed as a residential suburb. Today it includes a small industrial area and is adjacent to the...
but they soon expanded in to the nearby suburbs of Hamilton and Mayfield
Mayfield, New South Wales
Mayfield is a north-western suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, which takes its name from Ada May a daughter of the landowner there, John Scholey, J.P...
. This was primarily due to Islington's proximity to the BHP steel works. Before long Hamilton (especially Beaumont Street) was to become a strong community and commercial centre for Newcastle’s Italians. By the late fifties, the local Italian community began patronising the Australian owned Exchange Hotel, located on the corner of Beaumont and Denison Streets. It continues to be a regular meeting place for Italian men of Hamilton.
Rail
Hamilton's train stationHamilton railway station, New South Wales
-Hamilton Junction Signal Box:Hamilton Junction Signal Box is separated from Hamilton Station by Beaumont Street Level Crossing. The elegant Victorian signal box was built by McKenzie & Holland in 1897, making it one of the oldest surviving mechanical signal boxes in Australia, and also one of the...
was constructed on the Islington Junction to Newcastle section of the Hunter line. The station is 164.632 km from the Way & Works Branch and is 5.8m above sea level.
With the opening of the station in 1872, the importance of Hamilton as a suburb grew.
The railway line is part of CityRail
CityRail
CityRail is an operating brand of RailCorp, a corporation owned by the state government of New South Wales, Australia. It is responsible for providing commuter rail services, and some coach services, in and around Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong, the three largest cities of New South Wales. It is...
's Newcastle-Maitland
Maitland, New South Wales
Maitland is a city in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia and the seat of Maitland City Council, situated on the Hunter River approximately by road north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle...
line, the first section of the Main North line
Main North railway line, New South Wales
The Main North Line is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Central Coast, Hunter and the New England regions. The line was the original main line between Sydney and Brisbane, however this required a change of gauge at Wallangarra...
defined as the Newcastle and Central Coast line, which runs from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to the New England
New England (Australia)
New England or New England North West is the name given to a generally undefined region about 60 kilometres inland, that includes the Northern Tablelands and the North West Slopes regions in the north of the state of New South Wales, Australia.-History:The region has been occupied by Indigenous...
region which was opened in 1857.
