Newcastle’s first tram service commenced in July 1887 with a line running from the city to Wallsend and Plattsburg, with trams powered by steam. In the following two decades additional lines were constructed to Merewether, Mayfield, and Adamstown.
In 1907 representatives of the local councils met with the Chief Commissioner for Railways to urge the conversion of the Newcastle tram system from steam to electric. The Commissioner’s reply “that it would be very carefully considered” proved hollow, with funding in the following decade directed to expansion of the Sydney tram network instead.
In 1917 the electrification project re-emerged with the government announcing plans to expand the capacity of the small powerhouse in Zaara Street to provide for the expected needs of electric trams. Although the power station was enlarged it was not until January 1923 that the government finally approved funding for tram electrification in Newcastle.
The upgrade required not only new rolling stock, substations and overhead power lines, but also extra workshops and tram sheds. In some locations new and heavier tracks needed to be installed. The Mayfield line was the first to be upgraded, and the first electric tram ran on 15 December 1923. Upgrades of other lines followed in the next two years. The Wallsend electric tram service commenced on 26 December 1925, one hundred years ago this month. With the efficiency of the new electric traction, trams ran on the line every 15 minutes, even on weekends! Low passenger numbers on the Speers Point and West Wallsend lines meant it was uneconomical to upgrade these long tracks. They remained steam powered until November 1930 when they were closed and replaced with a bus service. By the late 1940s the condition of tram infrastructure in Newcastle had deteriorated to the point where a major investment in repairs was needed. The government decided instead to transition to a bus service, and the last electric tram in Newcastle ran on the Waratah line on 11 June 1950.
A Newcastle to Wallsend electric tram in Howe Street, Lambton, 23 April 1949. Photo by Arthur Perry. University of Newcastle, Living Histories.Buses provided public transport after the closure of the Newcastle tram network in 1950.
[I was somewhat dissatisfied with the quality of my modern photo above, the way the bus is deep in shadow. If the bus came through more regularly than once an hour I might be tempted to try and get a better shot. However I will leave the inadequate photo there as a fitting reminder of the inadequacy of our bus services.]
The article above was first published in the December 2025 edition of The Local.
Newcastle Beach to Newcastle Interchange (Wickham)
Opened
Craigies Road, Rail and Tramway Map of Newcastle. c. 1918. National Library of Australia MAP G8974.N4P1
The end of trams
The view that it was competition from the motor buses that killed off the tram system is starkly presented in a commemorative postcard from 1950 which stated …
Born 5 July 1887. Died 10 June 1950. 63 years old. R.I.P. In rememberance [sic] of Newcastle’s trams, which were finally suffocated by the deisel [sic] ‘buses.
(Note that the dates in the postcard are slightly off – the Wallsend line opened for public traffic on 19 July 1887, and the last tram ran on the Waratah line on 11 June 1950.)
"While it is satisfactory to learn from the reply given by the State Treasurer to Mr. Edden in Parliament that the Government does not propose to send any defective or partially worn-out engines to Newcastle in connection with the tramway, service, it would be still more so if the authorities were to decide to replace the present system of steam traction by that of electricity. Under present circumstances the cars are invariably dirty and uncomfortable. Steam, smoke, and dust are their inevitable accompaniments [and] the smoke nuisance along the streets is at all times unpleasant."
Municipal conference re electrification. The Mayor of Hamilton: “The present system was a very dirty one. He was sorry they had to go to Sydney with such a request, but Newcastle was very badly treated. If they wanted anything in Sydney, it was immediately granted, while Newcastle was ignored on every occasion.”
“The electrification of the Newcastle tramway system, which has been talked of for years, but appeared latterly to have been forgotten, has been once more brought into notice. In a letter to the Newcastle Council, the Secretary for Rail ways explains the proposal of the department.”
"The Railway Commissioners are anxious to get the Newcastle trams electrified with as little delay as possible. They have been anxious during 10 years past, but money, when it has been available has been more urgently needed elsewhere."
"Various works are in progress in connection with the electrification of the Newcastle tramways. A start has been made with the construction of the additions to the car sheds and workshops at the depot in Gordon-avenue, Hamilton. The wooden and galvanised iron shed alongside the railway line near Brown street, city, is being demolished, to make room for the erection of a brick electric sub-station. The tram lines on the northern side of Scott-street, between Watt street and Parnell-place, are being relaid with new and heavier type of rails."
"The largest of 64 packages of a turbo-generator, the dynamo, landed recently from the steamer Bendigo, for erection at the Zara-street Power House, is considered the heaviest load successfully lifted in the Newcastle Harbour. The dynamo weighed only ½cwt short of 33 tons. It was made by the British Thomson Houston Company, Limited, of Rugby, England. The dynamo is to be used in connection with the production of electric current to supply power for the Newcastle electric tramway system."
First electric tram service in Newcastle. "The official ceremonies connected with the running of the first electric tram from Newcastle to Mayfield on Saturday afternoon will rank among the most important events in the history of the city and suburbs."
"The key of the whole system of electric traction on the Newcastle tramways is the Zara-street power-house, owned and operated by the Railway Commissioners … A permanent staff of 63 men is employed at the power-house."
"An important step in the advancement of the town was made on Saturday, when the regular running of electric tramcars was inaugurated. The time-table has been so improved, the electric cars leave Wallsend for the city at 13 minutes and 43 minutes past the hour or about midway between the departing times for steam trams, thus making practically a fifteen minutes' service."
When Lambton began in 1864 the population grew quickly, and with it the need for policing. In 1868 one constable based in Waratah also had to cover Lambton, and the Newcastle Chronicle lamented that “at Lambton the absence of officers of the law frequently results in drunkenness and disgraceful rows.”
In 1870 the government appointed John Lee as Lambton’s first resident police officer, although initially there was no dedicated police station. In 1874 a correspondent described the office as being a shanty hut at the policeman’s home, consisting of “a straggling collection of timbers nailed together, with a broken-down shingle roof.” To rectify this situation, the government constructed at the east end of Dickson Street a building for a courthouse and police station, which opened in 1879.
In 1884 a contract was awarded for the erection of a residence for the senior officer stationed at Lambton. Construction was delayed for two years, as the preferred site had previously been promised to Lambton Council for a town hall. Finally in August 1886 the newspaper noted that “excavations are being made near the Courthouse and massive blocks of stone laid down for the foundation of the new police barracks.”
The police station in the courthouse building was used until 1933, when it was condemned as “unfit for human habitation”. Although the station closed and was then demolished, an officer was still assigned to Lambton and lived in the police residence. By 1946 there were calls for a police station to be re-established, and in 1954 a small office and lockup was built adjoining the police residence. This operated until the mid-1990s, when Lambton policing was once again covered from Waratah. The house in Dickson Street remained derelict and decaying for many years. However, the property is currently for sale, and as it is listed as a heritage item in the Newcastle Local Environmental Plan, there are hopes this significant 19th century building may soon be restored.
Sergeant George Salter and lock-up keeper Constable William Mahood at Lambton Police Station and Courthouse, 8 August 1898. Photo by Ralph Snowball. Newcastle Libraries Online Collection, accession number 001 001053.The former Lambton police residence in Dickson Street in August 2024, ready for restoration.
The article above was first published in the September 2025 edition of The Local.
Additional Information
An Historical Parish Map showing the location of the Police Barracks on Dickson St, west of the Court House. Historical Land Records ViewerOverlaying a 1909 Water Board map into Google Earth suggests that at that time the west side of the building extended back further, and that there was a deck and/or verandah at the front. University of Newcastle, Living Histories.
A 1944 aerial photograph showing Lambton Police residence (yellow) and the outline of the foundations of the Lambton Courthouse demolished in 1937. NSW Historical Aerial Imagery
A 1954 aerial photograph shows that the office and lockup has been erected adjacent to the police residence, and that houses have been erected where the courthouse once stood. NSW Historical Aerial Imagery
A 1989 street directory still has a police station marked on Dickson St, Lambton.
"At Lambton, the absence of the officers of the law frequently results in drunken orgies and disgraceful rows, the majority of which take place on the Sabbath. In the face of facts like these it is high time, we think, that something was done to try and get the authorities to station a constable in [Lambton]."
"We are glad to learn that the Government has, at last, deemed it proper to give police protection to the populous and rising township of Lambton. The Inspector General of Police has given the necessary instructions to Mr. Inspector Harrison to station a constable at Lambton, and those instructions are to be carried out immediately, and in the course of ten days hence the Lambtonians may expect the presence of a guardian of the peace amongst them."
"A gentleman from the survey department has been appointed district surveyor, and has been here measuring out the piece of land on the pasturage reserve, for the proposed extension of Lambton, near Peacock's dwelling, that was applied for to erect municipal chambers on. From what I learn the police station and lock-up are also to be built near here as being the most suitable and central situation for the three colliery townships — Waratah, Lambton, and New Lamb ton."
"At present the policeman stationed here was in an awkward position if obliged to take a prisoner in charge, for, having no lock up, he had no alternative but to take him to his own home and sit up with him all night."
"There has never since Lambton was a township been more need for a lock-up than during the present week end. On Sunday a woman of most disreputable character was walking about the streets in a state of intoxication ... Constable Price searched the town to find her. He at last found her near Mr. Avery's hotel, The constable took her in charge, but had no place to put her. Mr. Avery, however locked her up in one of his rooms, and was rewarded by being kept awake during the whole of the night by her striking matches, and knocking the furniture about in the room. At midnight Constable Frize was called up by another constable, who had a prisoner in charge for passing spurious notes at Singleton. The man was taken to Con- stable Daly's residence at Waratah, and had to be watched during the whole of the night. That such a state of things should exist in a district like this, is a disgrace to the Government."
"The new Court-house was formally opened on Tuesday … but there were no cases for trial."
"Though the Court has been opened, there are many things yet required to make the premises complete."
"Alderman GRIERSON said he had heard it was the intention of the Government to erect Police Barracks on the reserve for Council Chambers, near the Courthouse, which he thought should be prevented."
Lambton Council meeting: "Letter read from Mr. Surveyor Allworth, asking Council to state proposals with reference to site for Council Chambers and the conditions on which, they would hand over the present site for police barracks."
"I notice that excavations are being made on the reserve near the Court-house, and massive blocks of stone laid down for the foundation of the new police station and barracks. The building is to be a large and substantial one, and, when completed, will make an important addition to our police structures."
"From the inspector of nuisances leaving his notice book for examination, and referring to the cesspit near the new police barracks being of defective construction."
"In connection with the removal of Constable D. Fay, lockup-keeper, to take charge of the Adamstown station, Constable Mahood, of Greta, has been appointed to the charge of the Lambton lookup, and will probably arrive to-day to enter upon his new duties."
"Constable William Mahood, who has been in charge of the lockup for the past four years, has (on his own application) been removed to Newcastle. During the time he was stationed here, Mr. Mahood proved a zealous and faithful officer of the law, who discharged his duties in a quiet and unassuming manner, and totally free from bluster. His uniform courtesy and civility to all has won for him a host of friends who regret his departure and wish him every success in his new position. Constable Knight, late of Stockton, succeeds Mr. Mahood as lock-up keeper."
"Sergeant George Salter, who has been stationed at Lambton for the last nineteen years, retired on pension from the 1st instant. During the time he was in charge of the Lambton station, Sergeant Salter has, by his uniform courtesy and kindness, won the esteem of the community, and his exceptional tact and knowledge of human nature. "
"Lambton Courthouse has seen the end of its days of usefulness as far as the Justice department is concerned."
"This court is perhaps the oldest in suburban Newcastle, and at one time boasted three sittings a week.
Since then, however, they have fallen away to one a month, and as people can not afford to wait so long to have their troubles dealt with, they prefer to go to Newcastle."
"Formerly, the sergeant for the district resided in the quarters about 50 yards from the actual police station. Recently, a change was made, and the new sergeant appointed temporarily does not reside in the quarters. The police station itself has no telephone, but there is a telephone in the quarters. Newcastle police, if they urgently required the sergeant, are compelled to wait for a ring from him on his periodical walks over to the telephone in the quarters."
Expression of opinion from the Medical Officer for Health (Dr. H. G. Wallace) "that the lock-up keeper's quarters at Lambton Police Station were unfit for human habitation."
"Lambton Council has decided to seek the subdivision of three acres of land ad joining the local police station, which is to be closed, owing to the unhealthy state of the building."
"Lambton Council decided last night to protest to the Police Department against the decrease in the number of police stationed in the municipality. Ald. S. Spruce, who raised the matter, said that the town was served by only one policeman for the greater part of the day. Ald. Spruce said that formerly, with a smaller population, there were three police men at Lambton. To-day there were only two, and one constable spent most of his time at Carrington."
"Lambton residents are afraid to leave their homes at night because of the lack of police protection. No police were stationed in the district and the call-boxes, introduced by the Commissioner of Police had proved a failure, he said. The committee decided to recommend to the council that the Superintendent of Police be asked to station police at Lambton and New Lambton."
"The Superintendent of Police in Newcastle (Mr. Swasbrick) will recommend that there be a permanent officer at the existing Lambton Police Station with a motor cycle and sidecar and that a cell be erected at the station."
Ralph Snowball photographed William Lahay’s family butcher shop in Morehead Street Lambton, 125 years ago this month. Little is known about Lahay, although another photograph shows that in 1902 his business had moved to Elder Street in a small wooden building where butchers Joseph Palmer had previously traded, and Edward Box would trade from 1903.
At this time butchers obtained their meat from nearby slaughterhouses, whose disagreeable stench and health risks were a persistent concern. In April 1876, the Mayor of Wickham, James Hannell, had written to the Colonial Secretary expressing “the absolute necessity for the erection by the Government of a public abattoirs, there being at the present time no less than fourteen licensed slaughterhouses in the district, most situated in the midst of, or near to a rapidly increasing population.”
The Government denied any responsibility, replying that it was up to the local councils to act. And so began decades of to-and-fro on the need for a district abattoir, where it should be located, and who should pay for it. In the 1890s the matter gained momentum with the municipalities holding many conferences. Several sites were suggested including Shortland, and Ironbark Hill at the north of Sandgate.
In 1913 the authorities chose a site in Mayfield West adjacent to the railway, allowing a short branch line to be constructed. The Newcastle Abattoir finally opened on 3 June 1916, forty years after James Hannell’s letter of 1876! It operated for seven decades, and when the cost of upgrading equipment to meet new export requirements could not be justified, it closed in 1981. It was soon demolished and the suburb of Warabrook grew in its place. Newcastle’s meat was then sourced from other rural and regional facilities. In the time of Lahay’s butcher shop, people could see their meat supplied from local suburbs. Today’s sources are out of sight and far away, sometimes surprisingly so. It may astonish many to learn that 75% of the packaged bacon and ham currently consumed in Australia is imported.
The article above was first published in the August 2025 edition of The Local.
Lahay’s Butcher
Elder St Shop
In March 1874 Joseph Palmer, butcher, purchased lot 9 of Section E in Lambton. (Vol-Fol 106-208) and as early as October 1874 he is mentioned as being a butcher on Elder Street. In October 1884 the paper reported that …
Mr. Joseph Palmer has just had the foundations laid for a two-story brick dwelling-house and butcher’s shop, in Elder-street, which, when erected, will be another valuable addition to the street.
After the death of Joseph Palmer on 19 January 1901, his house, effects and shop were put up for auction on 27 August 1901, with the advertisement of 16 August 1901 noting “a W.B. Butcher’s Shop, occupied by Mr. Lahay.” An April 1902 photograph shows the shop with Lahay’s name on the verandah side.
On 23 September 1903, Stephen Richardson purchased Palmers’ house and shop, by October 1903 Richardson’s brother-in-law Edward Box was trading as a butcher in that location, and continued there until about 1915.
Snowball’s 1900 photograph of Lahay’s butcher shop is in some places captioned with a location of De Vitre Street. This identification is possibly because the Federal Directory of Newcastle and District 1901 has on page 93 an entry for “Lahey, W., De Vitre st” in the list of Lambton butchers. Land title Vol-Fol 878-207 shows that “William Lahay, Butcher” purchased a portion of Lot 13 Sec C on De Vitre St on 29 April 1889. However this lot is on the north side of the street and would have the North Lambton hill behind it, and is clearly not the location of Snowball’s photo.
In the photo we see that the street has a marked slope down to the left, and in the far background there is a hill with a cleared section and trees on the horizon. This is more suggestive of a location on the west side of the upper section of either Grainger or Morehead Streets. Looking at land titles on those streets for possible connections with a butcher reveals a block of land owned by Nathaniel Elliott (butcher) from 1888 to 1903. (Vol-Fol 193-3)
Inspecting that block of land (41 Morehead St) shows the house on the right side of Lahay’s shop in the 1900 photo appears to still be there today, although with the verandah roof no longer extending over the footpath.
41 Morehead St, Lambton.Composite of Snowball’s 1900 photo and 41 Morehead St in 2025.
As a final confirmation of the location, in the photo to the left of the butcher is a house set back from the street (1) and in the background a two storey building (2) with an odd slope up of the roof line at the left hand side.
Using a 1909 Water Board map, and drawing a line from the suspected butcher shop (B) through the corner of the set-back house (1) the line passes through a thin building on Elder St (2).
That building still stands today (at 102 Elder St) and photographing it from the rear shows it to be the same building, minus the chimney.
The verandah roof of both the house and the shop can be seen in the background of an October 1900 Lambton colliery photo.
District Abattoir
Prior to the establishment of a district abattoir in North Waratah, butchering of animals was conducted in a variety of small slaughter-houses around the towns and suburbs of Newcastle. Some examples of these include the slaughter-house of A L Payne of Lambton, and the meat-works at Waratah.
Water Board map of abattoir, 1932. University of Newcastle, Living Histories.Abattoir and saleyards marked on a 1936 map. Interestingly the map also has a “Slaughter Yard” marked in the lower left, in a time when the district abattoir was supposed to have done away with suburban slaughter-yards. National Library of Australia.Abattoir and saleyards in a 1944 aerial photograph. NSW Historical Aerial Imagery.
A 1984 aerial photograph shows the abattoir has been partially demolished.
The new suburb of Warabrook was officially named on 7 December 1984.
The Greater Newcastle Permanent Building Society is one of three financial backers along with the Kern Corporation and the Newcastle Master Builders’ Association for a prestige display village at the new Warabrook Gardens Estate being developed on one of the last remaining tracts of residential land close to Newcastle.
In 2024 the only obvious reminder of the abattoir site is the tree lined Warabrook Ave marking the former entry road to the site. Google Earth. Image copyright 2025 Vexcel Imaging US Inc.
James Hannell, Mayor of Wickham, writes to the Colonial Secretary regarding the need for public abattoirs: “There are, at the present time, no less than fourteen licensed slaughter-houses in the police district, most of them being situated in the midst of, or near to, a rapidly increasing population, and, in which, on the average, no less than 200 bullocks, 1200 sheep, besides pigs, calves, &c., are slaughtered every week. The whole of the medical gentlemen residing and practising in the district of Newcastle, assert most , positively, I am told, that the noxious effluvia arising from these establishments, as at present conducted, has for many years past, and especially during the late drought, been the principal cause of the spread of disease in its worst form all over the district.”
The editor of the Newcastle Chronicle supports Hannell's call for erection of public abattoirs, and suggests the North Shore (Stockton) as a possible location.
"I am directed by the Colonial Secretary to inform you that the Government have no power, so far as is known, to cause the erection of abattoirs, and that this matter seems to be one in which the inhabitants of Newcastle and the surrounding municipalities should move for themselves."
A meeting at Wallsend "to take further steps to urge the councils to have the slaughter-houses removed. The township was almost completely surrounded with slaughter yards, and no matter from what quarter the winds of Heaven were driven, with them came the odour, that in the opinion of those present was decidedly objectionable."
Motion at the municipal abattoir conference"That this conference is of the opinion that it is important, in the interests of the public health, to have abattoirs erected in order that a more rigid inspection may be made of all animals slaughtered for food for the people of this district."
Inspection of two candidate sites for the abattoir. 1. Old House Paddock on Wallsend Company's Estate. 2. Ironbark Hill on the Hexham road. 3. Waratah side of Sandgate Cemetery.
The Ironbark Hill site was favoured: "This land, which is owned by the A.A. Company, was found to be most suitable for the erection of abattoirs, being perfectly drained, with the tidal waters below to wash away the slush; and, in addition to this, it was considered to be most central to Maitland and Newcastle, possessing an easy access from both sides."
"A deputation from the municipalities of the Newcastle and Maitland districts waited on the Premier yesterday to urge that steps be taken to establish central abattoirs for those districts. If anything was done it would be necessary to make killing illegal at any other place."
Alderman Asher moved in the City Council meeting on Wednesday night, "That an application be made to the A.A. Company and the Wallsend Company for a statement of the terms on which they will be prepared to sell 10 or 20 acres of land near the Sandgate railway station, suitable for the establishment of cattle sale yards."
"The proposal to erect stock saleyards and abattoirs for the Newcastle district is one that has engaged the attention of the local municipal authorities for a considerable time. Owing to the growth of population and the expansion of the suburban area, the necessity of abolishing the various slaughtering establishments, which have become surrounded by settlement, and the substitution of a properly regulated abattoir system, has been forced upon the local authorities. This afternoon the Mayor of Newcastle (Ald. Cook), along with representatives from the various municipalities and shires in the district, visited a site on Ironbark Creek, near its junction with the Hunter River, and the opinion was expressed that it was a suitable one for saleyards and abattoirs. Its area comprises from 80 to 100 acres, and is bordered on one side by the Great Northern railway, and on the other by the south arm of the Hunter, so that it could be easily served by both rail and water carriage. A ridge runs along the centre of the land, affording an excellent fall on both sides, and the drainage is good."
Another municipal conference, still discussing possible sites. "The site chosen by the committee some time ago was on Ironbark Hill, but the cost of resumption was quite beyond their anticipation." Discussion on an
"an alternative site between Sandgate and Wallsend, on the left side of the railway. The site was an elevated one, with perfect drainage, and there were hundreds of acres of land which could be bought for a reasonable sum. In every respect the site was preferable to that chosen at Ironbark. The latter site was altogether too public, but the one proposed was out of sight, and was easy of access, both by rail and road, in addition to which it was central, and had the advantage of water for drainage purposes."
Inspection of potential abattoir site at Shortland. "The land is owned by the Newcastle-Wallsend Coal Company, and the area inspected is known as the Old House Paddock, and contains 316 acres. Practically the whole of it is high ground, sloping away to Ironbark Creek on the west. It is only half a mile from the Great Northern Railway, and there appears to be no difficulty in the way of running a branch line in from a point near Sand gate Railway Station. Practically no cutting or filling would be needed. It is the site which has been favoured by Dr. Dick as being in many ways preferable to that at Ironbark Hill."
A conference of municipal representatives to deal with the abattoir question. The "old house paddock" site between Wallsend and Sandgate was discussed as a suitable site.
"The fact that Dr. Ashburton Thompson has approved of the site for the proposed abattoirs in the old House Paddock, at Ironbark Creek, which is within the Tarro Shire area, has called forth a protest from the Tarro Shire Council. "
"The A. A. Company has men engaged clearing the large paddock north of the Great Northern Railway, and between the western municipal boundary of Waratah and the road leading from the high-level bridge to Maitland road. The purpose of clearing is to make the land ready for the construction of stock saleyards. The site is a suitable one for the object contemplated, and although within Tarro Shire, it is immediately adjacent to Waratah, which place should certainly benefit by the saleyards."
Official opening of Waratah saleyards. "The yards cover an area of 10½ acres, and consist of 70 sheep yards, and 10 cattle yards, providing accommodation for from 4000 to 5000 sheep, and from 400 to 500 cattle, while an area of about 700 acres has been subdivided and fenced as rest paddocks."
A municipal conference upholds the selection of Waratah site despite a protest from Wallsend Council. The Old House Paddock site was rejected principally because of concern that drainage into Ironbark creek would make its way up to Wallsend.
"The secretary [of the Abattoir Board] submitted a report as to the clearing of the abattoir site, recommending that twenty acres be cleared and grubbed as soon as possible, and submitted draft specification of the work to be done."
"A letter was received from the Railway Commissioners, forwarding plan and estimate of cost for siding from the present stock siding at the Wallsend Junction to the abattoirs."
"TENDERS. Newcastle.- Construction of a branch railway, including earthwork, from the sale-yards siding at Waratah to the Newcastle District Abattoirs, a distance of 40 chains."
"Mr. Creer said that the construction work had been practically completed for several weeks past, but the use of the abattoir had been delayed, pending an agreement with the Federated Meat Trade Employees' Union of Australasia, as to the working conditions and wages, and also the gazetting of the bylaws."
A dispute with the Federated Meat Trade Employees' Union of Australasia preventing commencent of operations at the new abattoir was resolved when the union "decided to accept an interim agreement with a view to work being commenced as soon as possible."
"The Newcastle Abattoir Board has is sued a notification prohibiting after to morrow the slaughtering of any cattle within a radius of 14 miles of the New castle Post Office, except at the board's abattoir. "
Inspection of the abattoirs by "about ninety aldermen and councillors of the constituent municipalities… The party were conveyed along the company's siding from the main line to the area of the abattoirs,
where they detrained."
Irishtown (sometimes spelled Irish Town) was the name of locality near Lambton and Waratah, in use in the period 1876-1881. [A 1944 newspaper article states that Dalwood (near Greta) was also originally known as Irishtown.]
The few scant references to Irishtown in newspaper reports seem to equally describe it as being “near Waratah” (15 April 1876, 22 August 1876) and “near Lambton” (3 October 1877, 25 April 1881). This suggests that it was located somewhere between these two townships. A December 1877 article about a lost child stated that she was eventually found …
… in one of the pitfalls situated in the bush between North Lambton and a place called Irish Town, distant about half a mile from Lambton.
The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser, 18 December 1877.
Looking at a 1913 map that has houses marked as black squares, there is an area about half a mile from Lambton in the direction of Waratah that could possibly be the region of Irishtown.
Forty years ago this month the Skyline drive-in theatre in Lambton screened its final film, and a much loved and fondly remembered entertainment venue fell dark and silent.
The drive-in was in an area west of Croudace St, accessed from Pride Ave. The land was formerly owned by the Scottish and Australian Mining Company who established Lambton colliery in 1863. In 1903 the company leased four acres to Lambton Council to use as a sanitary depot, a place to bury the euphemistically named ‘night soil’ collected from the outside toilets of residents. With connections to a piped sewerage system commencing in 1917, the need for the night soil paddock gradually declined and the lease expired in 1938.
In 1955, Provincial Gardens Pty Ltd, a company controlled by Hoyts and Union Theatres, purchased the land and applied to open the first drive-in theatre in NSW. Constructed in 1956 at a cost of £200,000, the theatre’s 15 acres catered for 720 cars, with the 156-ton pre-stressed concrete screen the biggest in Australia at the time. The Skyline opened on 17 October 1956 with a screening of Three Coins in the Fountain. It became a popular venue for families with a snack bar, and a children’s playground that later included a ride-on train.
The site remained vacant, derelict and vandalised for several years, and a fire destroyed the main building. In the 1990s the area was redeveloped for housing, and today many of the younger residents there are possibly unaware of the varied former uses of the land beneath their homes.
Lambton’s Skyline drive-in theatre in 1956.The drive-in theatre location in 2022. Google Earth.
The article above was first published in the June 2025 edition of The Local.
Acknowledgement: Some of the information in the article was sourced from the book “Front Stalls or Back? The history and heritage of the Newcastle Theatres” by K J Cork and L R Tod.
Additional Information
For further information on the nightsoil paddock, see the Lambton sanitation page.
Advertisement for the opening of the Skyline drive-in theatre in Lambton. Newcastle Morning Herald, 13 October 1956.Skyline birthday card invitation from 1961. Courtesy of Robert Watson.
Skyline theatre marked in a 1965 Gregory’s street directory.
Newspaper articles referenced below can be found in the “Lambton” clippings folder in the Local Studies section of Newcastle Library.
Article Date Event Date
Notes
13 Oct 1955 12 Oct 1955
"An application by Provisional Gardens Pty. Ltd., for a drive-in theatre at Lambton was granted today." Newcastle Morning Herald
7 Mar 1956
"Work will start shortly and the theatre is expected to be in operation before the end of the year." - Newcastle Morning Herald
14 Sep 1956
"A regulation issued last week [by the Films and Theatres Commission] forbids the erection of a drive-in theatre within a four-mile radius of any other drive-in". This "left no site for another drive-in in Newcastle except the Pacific Ocean, Alderman Herrald said yesterday." - Newcastle Morning Herald
16 Oct 1956
Newcastle Sun six page supplement for the opening of the drive-in, with the following headlines:
"Dinner and a Show: 1956 Style"
"Garden Site From Scrub"
"Rain Won't Worry Drive-In Patrons"
"Blind Will Benefit From Skyline Invitation Show"
"Screening Time-Table"
"Facts : Figures"
"How To Reach The Skyline"
"Eat Out Of Doors - And Choose Your Style"
"Magnificent Effort Says Manager"
"50 Years Ago, Movies Began - In the Open Air. Screen Was A Sheet Hung On Goal Posts"
Prior to the introduction of a sanitary service, residents of Lambton had to manage the disposal of sewage themselves. This usually entailed the digging of cesspits in backyards. In April 1882 the Inspector of Nuisances reported complaints of overflowing cesspits and asked council to appoint a place for the deposition of night-soil. However no scheme was introduced and in the ensuing years there were occasional reports of people dumping nightsoil in the streets, in the drains, or burying it in gardens of dairies.
Progress was hindered when the Lambton Council became bankrupt due to the failure of the electric light scheme and the council ceased to function On 18 July 1899 the ratepayers elected a 13 person “Citizens’ Committee” to look after municipal affairs instead.
In August 1899, Doctor Robert Dick, Medical Officer of Health to the Hunter River combined districts, issued a scathing report on the poor sanitation in Lambton. The details of Dr Dicks’ report are too gross to reproduce here, but his conclusion gives a a good indication of the squalor he witnessed.
The condition in which quite a number of the privies were found was disgusting. It will be gathered that every householder is practically a law unto himself or herself in regard to the manner in which nightsoil is dealt with. This is a most unsatisfactory and unsafe practice and one which should not be allowed to continue.
Because there was no functioning council to deal with these matters, Dr Dick recommended that the Nuisances Prevention Act be extended to the town. In May 1900 a Sanitary Committee was formed and the government allocated £200 for sanitary purposes in Lambton. The committee held a public meeting on 11 June 1900 which passed a resolution that “the pan system should be adopted for the removal of nightsoil within the municipality.”
In November 1900 the Citizens’ Committee approached Thomas Croudace, manager of Lambton colliery, to ask for land for a nightsoil paddock. In January 1901 Croudace “promised to consider the matter”, but no favourable response was received. The committee then asked in January 1902 for “the Government to resume an area suitable for the purpose”, and a few months later the paper reported that …
The long delay in having a sanitary service introduced for Lambton since the Government grant of £200 was expended in the purchase of the apparatus has been due to the want of a suitable depot. Now however, there is a hope of some finality being reached, Dr. Robt. Dick, the medical officer of health, having approved of a site of eight acres near the tram line, on the other side of Lambton, being recommended for resumption.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 22 July 1902.
The “hope of some finality being reached” required a little more patience, for it took more than a year before the land for the nightsoil depot was secured in October 1903.
By means of a grant of £200, the citizens’ committee made a purchase of six hundred pans, with a view to providing the borough with a sanitary service, a public meeting having decided that such a service should be established. These have been stored in the council chambers for over eighteen months, while the difficulty of obtaining a depot was being overcome, owners of land having offered objections on every side. A ten-years’ lease of a site has, how ever, now been signed, at a rental of £5 per annum. The site is in Croudace’s paddock, near the pumping engine and comprises an area of five acres. A new sanitary waggon has been built, at a cost of £50, and a ton of iron on hand, and paid for, for the erection of a shed at the depot. The Government put £200 on the Estimates for the purchase of a site, and efforts are now being made to have this amount paid to the credit of the council.The council clerk, in a letter to the member, puts down the new expenditure as follows:-100 additional pans; £22 10s: fencing the site, £40; clearing, £20, building shed material, £20: laying on the water supply. £37; and the construction of two bridges and the making of a half a mile of roadway, £30; making a total of £179 10s. At the present time there is no sanitary service. The practice of burying in back yards is most objectionable in thickly populated areas, and the sooner the service can be established the better it will be for the health of the community.
Lease in November 1903 from the Scottish Australian Mining Company for the night soil paddock. Vol-Fol 996-111, page 1. Note that as the Lambton Council had not yet restarted operation, the lease is with several members of the Lambton Citizens’ Committee.
After many delays and difficulties, the Lambton sanitary service was finally commenced on 1 July 1904.
Another reason why yesterday should be remembered by the public of Lambton was by the introduction of the long-promised sanitary service, in substitution for the uncivilised practice which has had to be resorted to up to the present. By the aid of a Government grant of £200 the Citizens’ Committee made a purchase of 600 pans. These were stored in the council chamber for over two years, while the difficulty of obtaining a depot and other difficulties were being overcome, owners of land having offered objections on every side. Eventually, a ten years’ lease of a seven-acre site was obtained in Croudace’s paddock, near the pumping engine, to the south of the Wallsend tramway; and, then, the additional difficulty arose of want of funds to complete the introduction of the system. Money was wanted for extra pans, for clearing and forming a road, for the building of a shed, for the laying on of the water to the depot, for the erection of two bridges, and for fencing the site. The Government put an extra £200 on the Estimates, and, when Parliament made this available, a start was made in real earnest to improve the sanitary condition of the place. There are now 850 pans, which were purchased at a cost of 4s 3d each, making an expenditure of £180 12s 6d. A sum of £50 was expended on a sanitary waggon, and it cost £40 to have the water laid on. When the cost of the shed, the clearing, the construction of the roadway and bridges, and the fencing of the depot had been met there was a slight credit balance, and it was decided to pay the ten years’ rental for the land at the rate of £5 per annum. The system was in debt by £50 when inaugurated yesterday, but arrangements have been made by which the scheme will be something more than self-supporting from year to year. A contract has been let for the removal and the burial of the nightsoil at 4d per pan per removal, and the charge made to the residents by the council is 6d per pan per removal. This 2d is estimated to bring in to the council a revenue, above that required for the payment of the contractor, of £3 5s per week, or £169 per year. Out of this the council will have to pay for the services of an inspector, and provide £60 for the maintenance of the pans and the upkeep of the waggon and roadway, while for this first year the sum of £50 will have to be provided to pay off the present indebtedness on the system. The Inspector, Mr. Joseph W. Oldham, has taken up his duties, and will be paid £26 a year, and be allowed 5 per cent. on the money collected. This might average another £26 per year. Of course this work will not occupy the Inspectors’ whole time, and no objection is to be raised to his continuing to hold the position of secretary to the local co-operative store. Mr. Oldham was formerly a Mayor of the Borough of New Lambton. Had Mr. Johnson, the council clerk, been physically able to undertake the duties of inspector and collector, such duties would have been combined with those of council clerk.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 2 July 1904.
The Lambton sanitary depot marked on a 1925 Scottish Australian Mining Company map. Newcastle Library, Local Studies. Map 622.33/25.
The council’s lease of the sanitary paddock expired in September 1938.
The lease for the sanitary depot expired on 2 September 1938. Vol-Fol 996-111, page 10.Although no longer in use, the Lambton sanitary depot (nightsoil paddock) can be seen in this 1944 aerial photograph. NSW Historical Aerial Imagery
In 1955 the Scottish Australian Mining Company sold 180 acres of land, including the area of the nightsoil paddock, to Provincial Gardens Pty Ltd who then constructed the Skyline drive-in theatre on the site.
Purchase by Morehead and Young of 320 acres of land, Mineral Lease 14, for Lambton Colliery. Vol-Fol 2-4. Land transferred to Scottish Australian Mining Company on 24 December 1873. Vol-Fol 91-10
"From the Inspector of Nuisances, that complaints had been made about overflowing cess-pits, and asking Council to appoint a place for the deposition of night-soil."
"Alderman Hardy called attention to the practice of tipping rubbish on the footpath at the intersection of Kendal and Croudace streets. Some person had also deposited nightsoil there."
Crorrespondence received by Lambton Council "from the secretary, of the Waratah Coal Company, stating, in reply to inquiries made by the council, that the company did not care to lease any part of their land for a nightsoil paddock."
"Mr. Arthur Griffith has made a representation to the Hon. the Treasurer that in the interest of public health a sum of about £200 should be immediately placed in the hands of the citizens' committee of Lambton to be expended in carrying on the necessary sanitary works of the borough."
"Mr. Treherne Evans, secretary of the Citizens' Committee, read a communication received from Mr. Griffith, M.P., intimating that the sum of £200 was available for sanitary purposes, and asking if the Citizens' Committee would undertake the expenditure of the sum, and if so to submit names as trustees."
At a meeting of the Lambton Sanitary Committee, Mr. Holland moved, "That the Government be asked to provide a nightsoil paddock for the Lambton municipality."
Public meeting passes the resolution "That in the opinion of this meeting the pan system should be adopted for the removal of nightsoil within the municipality."
Report at a Lambton Citizens' Committee meeting that "the sub-committee appointed to inspect the proposed area for a nightsoil depot on the western side of the municipality had done so, and that the ground was, in their opinion, suitable for the purpose and easy of access. "
"The secretary [of the Lambton Citizens' Committee], Mr. T. Evans, read a communication from Mr. Thomas Croudace, general manager S.A. Mining Company, in reply to a request made by the committee for an area of land for a nightsoil paddock, and suggesting that an effort be made to secure a portion of Griffiths' Flat. The letter was received, and the secretary instructed to again write to Mr. Croudace, intimating that the committee had failed to secure a portion of land on Griffiths' Flat before they applied to the company. It was resolved to ask Mr. Croudace to lease the committee 2 acres of land on the southern side of the tramline for a nightsoil paddock, and that if necessary, a deputation would wait upon him."
"By means of a grant of £200 obtained by Mr. Griffith, the citizens' committee made a purchase of 600 pans, with a view to providing the borough with a sanitary service, a public meeting having decided that such a service should be established. Then the difficulty was to get a depot for the soil. This difficulty has still to be overcome, owners of land offering objections on every side. An unsuccessful effort was recently made to obtain the use of an old shaft on the New Lambton Company's estate, and the Waratah Council declined. Thus a second deadlock has been reached. Mr. Griffith was to have come up about a week ago to see a site which the Government might be asked to resume, but he merely sent a letter apologising for his absence."
Lambton Citizens' Committee: "Mr. Griffith M.P., had met a few members of the committee in the early part of the week when the need of a nightsoil paddock was fully explained to him. Mr. Griffiths promised to do his best to urge upon the Government to reserve a piece of land for the purpose as soon as possible. The tender of Mr. John Rees, Newcastle, was accepted for a sanitary waggon for the sum of £48 10s."
4 Jun 1902 2 Jun 1902
At the Lambton Citizens' Committee meeting "a letter was received from Mr. H. T. Jones, who had been appointed to inspect the construction of the sanitary waggon for the committee, stating that the work had been performed in a satisfactory manner."
"Good progress is being made with the sewerage work at Lambton. The strenuous manner in which the men are working in the trenches, often ten to fifteen feet deep, is sufficient evidence that after all, the
day labour is not a failure, as asserted by some people."
"Now that the Lambton section of the sewer is complete and taken over by the Water and Sewerage Board, quite a number of applications have been lodged by owners for the connecting of their premises. The business or congested part of the municipality will receive first consideration, together with the schools and public buildings."
"The Lambton Council had reported that the sewerage of the municipality had been completed, that premises were being connected with the sewer as fast as possible, that it would only be a short time when the sanitary service could be abolished altogether."
"The council's sanitary depot, situated in the western part of the S.A.M. Company's estate, has been inaccessible owing to the flooded state of the creek on either side."
"The town clerk of Lambton (Mr. H. J. Noble) reported to the council last week that two premises had been connected with the sewerage system during the fortnight making a total of 401 installations, representing a decrease of 606 sanitary services each week."
"Good progress is being made with the provision of sewerage facilities for the Waratah-Lambton Valley, in the Griffiths Flat area. The total expenditure has amounted to £8255, and 55 men are employed on the work."
"A reduction of 22½ per cent., as from January 1, bringing the rent of the sanitary depot down to £3/17/6 a year, was the information received from the Scottish-Australian Mining Co., Ltd."
2 Sep 1938
Expiry of lease for sanitary paddock. Vol-Fol 996-111, page 10.
In May 1900, the Maitland Half-Squadron of Lancers conducted a three-day training march, including an overnight camp at Lambton. This was no academic exercise, with former members of the squadron at that very time in South Africa fighting in the Boer War.
The following is an edited extract of a report by one of the officers, published in the Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate
The Maitland Lancers met on Saturday morning to start on a touring march. The object was to impart tactical training, under such conditions as would be probable on active service. A muster of 36 men under Captain Markwell, with two transport wagons set off about 10 o’clock. After stopping for a midday meal near Minmi they proceeded to Young Wallsend (Edgeworth), where the first night’s camp took place. On Sunday they travelled round the eastern side of Lake Macquarie to Belmont for lunch, then back towards Charlestown where the peaceful little hamlet was suddenly astonished by the surrounding bush sending forth armed and mounted men from all directions, galloping and converging upon a rallying point. Colonel Ranclaud (Commandant of the Northern Forces) escorted the Lancers into their camp at Lambton, the site being one adjoining the Lambton Colliery, and very kindly placed at Captain Markwell’s disposal by Mr. Thomas Croudace, general manager of the Scottish-Australian Company. Four bell tents were erected when the tired men and horses came in. Horses were quickly placed in their lines, and a hearty meal partaken of, as the night became extremely cold, windy, and wet. On Monday morning “the reveille” sounded at 6 o’clock, and after the necessary stable duties had been performed, and breakfast disposed of, the troops were put through sword exercises and afterwards lance exercise and squadron drill. About half-past 10 the camp was struck, and a move made towards home via Wallsend, Sandgate, and Hexham, reaching Maitland about 6 o’clock, after a most instructive, enjoyable, and interesting tour, every man glad that he had come.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 31 May 1900.
The Maitland Lancers’ camp in Lambton, 28 May 1900. Photo by Ralph Snowball. Newcastle Libraries Online Collection 001 000647.The Lancers’ camp was on the ridge where Turner St runs today.
The article above was first published in the April 2025 edition of The Local.
Additional Information
Other photos
Ralph Snowball took three other photographs of the Maitland Lancers in Lambton in May 1900. One was taken in the same location as the camp photo above, but with the Lancers lined up with their horses.
The Maitland Lancers in Lambton, 28 May 1900. Photo by Ralph Snowball. Newcastle Libraries Online Collection 001 000646
The other two photos are looking towards the west as the Lancers approach their camp site. One of the photographs shows one of the supply wagons mentioned in the report of the march.
The Maitland Lancers in Lambton, 28 May 1900. Photo by Ralph Snowball. Newcastle Libraries Online Collection 001 000645The Maitland Lancers in Lambton, 28 May 1900. Photo by Ralph Snowball. Newcastle Libraries Online Collection 001 000648
The location of the LANCERS’ camp
We know from the newspaper report that the camp was on a “site being one adjoining the Lambton Colliery.” The exact location can be determined by comparison with other contemporaneous photos of Lambton and the colliery.
In the photo of the Lancers’ camp below, note the following features: A. House B. Two-rail wooden fence in front of white fence C. White picket fence in front of house D. A dusty path/road running between the tents E. A shed with a sloping roof that is between the two-rail fence and the dusty path
In Panel 2 of the 1904 Lambton panorama we see features A, B, C, D. (Assuming the house to the right of house A must have been built after the May 1900 Lancers photo, an assumption bolstered by the whiteness of its fence.)
In this October 1900 photo of Lambton colliery (just a few months after the Lancer photos) we see features A, C, D, and crucially E, the small shed with the sloping roof.
A further piece of evidence is that in the May 1900 Lancers photo, in the background to the right of the soldier’s head we see a large tallish building.
A final piece of evidence is the house in the background, which until recently still stood on Morehead St at the intersection with Turner St.
A Google StreetView image from 2020 shows the same house on Morehead St that appeared in Snowball’s 1900 photos. The house was demolished in 2024 to make way for a new building.
The Full report
The full unedited text of the report published in the newspaper appears below.
The Three Days’ Trip of the Maitland Lancers. (By One of the Officers.)
The Maitland Half-Squadron of Lancers met at the Orderly Room on Saturday morning last, to start on a touring march, with shifting camp, in light marching order. The object was to impart tactical training to the Half-Squadron, under such conditions as would be probable on active service. There was a good muster, viz., 36, under Captain Markwell and Lieutenant Welch. Two transport waggons accompanied the troops, and a start was obtained about 10 o’clock. The squadron was formed in marching order, with an advance guard, followed by the main body, then came the transport waggons and the rear guard. The weather was very threatening, but the rain held off well.
Everything went well until a piece of bad road about four miles from Minmi had to be negotiated, when one of the transport waggons bogged up to the axles, and in the effort to get clear the pole snapped off short. A halt of the troops was called, and a fatigue party detached to repair damages. This was just one of the sort of incidents required for practical training, and to show the resources of the men, it is only necessary to say that by the aid of an axe, carried for general purposes, a sapling was cut, and the broken pole spliced with a couple of heel ropes, and in twenty minutes the march was resumed. In order to test the durability of the job, the whole trip was performed with this temporary pole. A halt was called for midday meal near Minmi, and both horses and men were fed under regulation conditions. As the roads were heavy a start was soon made again, and proceeding through Minmi and West Wallsend to Young Wallsend, where the first night’s camp took place. On reaching camp the picket lines were immediately placed in position, the horses were secured, and when the bugle sounded “feed” they showed their appreciation by little affectionate whinnies to their owners. Four bell tents were erected as if by magic, to the front of the horse lines. In the meantime the camp cooks had been busy, and all hands sat down to a hearty meal.
After tea the picket guards took up their duties, and the rest of the men enjoyed themselves round the fire with songs, jokes, recitations, &c., even down to little Trumpeter Roy Welch, who contributed “The Man from Snowy River” in a very creditable manner, seated on the shoulders of a stalwart trooper. At 10 o’clock the bugles rang cut “lights out,” and the camp was in darkness. The picket guards were changed every three hours during the night, and a good deal of work was provided for them by some of the new chum horses objecting to the heel ropes, and kicking and breaking loose.
On Sunday morning at 6 “the reveille” was sounded, and half an hour later hot coffee and biscuits were served. Then followed “stables” and lance exercise. A sheep had been ordered from the local butcher for breakfast, and when this arrived a good breakfast was enjoyed by all. At 9 o’clock tents were struck, the baggage waggons loaded. The squadron was then formed up the same as the preceding day, and a fresh start made.
When the column reached the junction of the Cardiff, Wallsend, and Cockle Creek roads a guard was detached to convoy the transports to Lambton via Cardiff, and the main body proceeded by Cockle Creek and Argenton road round the eastern side of Lake Macquarie, and here a slice of good luck was encountered, by meeting with two members of the Scottish Rifles, Messrs. Wilcox and Stubbs, who knew the country well from there to Belmont, and who very kindly volunteered their services to act as guides through the scrubby country ahead. Captain Markwell promptly accepted the good things the gods had provided, and a move was made. Passing on through Spears’ Estate a beautiful view of lovely Lake Macquarie was obtained, but a little further on the value of the guides was fully appreciated, when a creek, rejoicing in the suggestive name of “Snaky Creek,” emptying into Warner’s Bay, was encountered right across the line of march. This creek is said to be very boggy and dangerous to negotiate, so a detour was made into the waters of the lake, and by keeping well out from the mouth the bottom is found to be silted up, and a safe crossing was effected. This operation produced a beautiful picture; the Lancers in open files, with pennants flying and with glittering swords and lances, reflected from a sunny sky in the azure water below, was a sight never to be forgotten. From here the country became rather rough and scrubby, but being open and unfenced it afforded an opportunity for a little skirmishing, so the groups were thrown out, in diamond formation, and covered with right and left flanking patrols in advance of the main body. The duty of these skirmishers was to go ahead and feel for, and locate an enemy, and convey the information to the main body through connecting files. These operations provided some exceedingly useful and highly interesting work, and the country was traversed in this manner right through to Belmont.
A halt was called here for lunch, the troops having carried a biscuit and cheese and a ration for their horses in nose-bags on their saddles. After a short rest the squadron was reformed, and the march resumed back towards Charlestown, and where the country permitted of it, very useful reconnoitring work was again performed, as detailed above. At Charlestown the “rally” was sounded, and the peaceful little hamlet was suddenly astonished by the surrounding bush sending forth armed and mounted men from all directions, galloping and converging upon the rallying point. The march was then made from Charlestown via Hillsborough towards Lambton, and about a mile from Charlestown the squadron was met by Colonel Ranclaud, Commandant of the Northern Forces, and a number of gentlemen from Newcastle, comprising three of the younger members of the Croudace family, Mr. Greenland, and others. These gentlemen are taking an active interest in the formation of a Lancer Half-Squadron in Newcastle, and were naturally much interested in everything pertaining to the troops. Colonel Ranclaud and the other gentlemen named escorted the Lancers into their camp at Lambton, the site being one adjoining the Lambton Colliery, and very kindly placed at Captain Markwell’s disposal by Mr. Thomas Croudace, general manager of the Scottish-Australian Company. The transport waggons having travelled by the short road had arrived early in the day, and the camp was ready pitched when the tired men and horses came in. Horses were quickly placed in their lines, and a hearty meal partaken of, and as the night was extremely cold, windy, and wet, it very speedily became a “sleeping camp,” but for the vigilant picket guards and officers. On Monday morning “the reveille” again sounded at 6 o’clock, and after the necessary stable duties had been performed, and breakfast disposed of, the troops were put through sword exercise dismounted, and afterwards lance exercise and squadron drill. About half-past 10 the camp was struck, and a move made towards home via Wallsend, Sandgate, and Hexham. The Lancers were escorted from their camp as far as Sandgate by Mr. P. Croudace, Mr. William Arnott, junr., Mr. Greenland, and others. The Half-Squadron reached Maitland about 6 o’clock, after a most instructive, enjoyable, and interesting tour, every man glad that he had come, and feeling well enough to go and do it again in the next three days if required. There was not a single incident to mar the enjoyment or harmony of the march. The only misadventures were the loss of a sword-blade by one of the troopers in the bush when skirmishing, and the breaking of the pole of the transport waggon.
Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 31 May 1900.
