Bond Street, Newcastle, 1964

Another photo from the Merv and Janet Copley collection at the Living Histories site that caught my eye was one with the somewhat vague title of “Newcastle old coal track, NSW, 1964.” It took me a while to identify the location of the photo, the key being a search in Trove for “W Brett sails tarpaulins”. This returned an advertisement from 1921 identifying the location of W Brett’s business as being “Bond St, Newcastle (near Customs House).”

Newcastle old coal track, NSW, 1964. Merv and Janet Copley Collection, Living Histories, University of Newcastle.
Bond Street Newcastle, with the Paymasters Cafe and the gate pillars of Customs House on the right. 21 April 2023.
A close up of the Copley’s 1964 photo.
The same scene in 2023.