Annual Report
Welcome to the summary version of our 2024/2025 Annual Report The full version is divided into the below six sections and can be viewed here.
2024/2025
Introduction
Our organisation
Our year in review
Our governance
Our performance
Our financial information
Newcastle Art Gallery expansion The City of Newcastle (CN) made significant progress this year on the long-envisioned expansion of Newcastle Art Gallery, one of the city’s most important cultural infrastructure projects. Works commenced in January 2022, following more than a decade of planning and community advocacy. With almost $15 million raised by the community, the project reflects a shared vision to transform the Gallery into a space that better reflects the depth of its nationally significant collection and the creative energy of the region. The expanded Gallery will deliver an additional 1,600m2 of exhibition space, allowing more of the city’s $145 million collection to be displayed and enabling the hosting of major national and international exhibitions. The first new exhibition spaces opened to the public in September 2025 during the New Annual festival, with a full reopening scheduled for late February 2026. This project is proudly supported by all levels of government and the community, including the Newcastle Art Gallery Foundation, the Federal and NSW Governments, and of course CN.
New multipurpose facility at Blackbutt Reserve CN delivered a major milestone in the Blackbutt Reserve Plan of Management with the completion of a $3.2 million multipurpose community facility and café in the Carnley Avenue recreation area. The new facility provides a dedicated space for environmental education, community meetings and events, and includes Durk’s Café + Eatery, offering dining options and picnic catering in a relaxed bushland setting. An accessible path was also installed to improve connectivity between the new building and the playspace, amenities and animal exhibits. The project was partially funded through the NSW Government’s Resources for Regions grant program, with over $800,000 contributed to support regional infrastructure and tourism.
Year in review The capital works program has invested over $164.1 million in projects across the Newcastle LGA in the past 12 months – an increase of almost 15% on the previous year’s record investment.
We spent a record $164.1 million on capital works Key projects completed and substantially delivered in 2024/2025 include: • Dixon Park cliff stabilisation works
• Street and park tree replacement program
• Foreshore Park amenities
• Inland pool solar replacement at Mayfield and Wallsend
• Western corridor road upgrades • Glebe Road safety and accessibility upgrades • Shared pathway at Minmi Road, Fletcher • Bathers Way – South Newcastle • Sand scraping and protection structures, Stockton • Landslip remediation at Memorial Drive, The Hill • Capacity expansion at Summerhill Waste Management Centre • Basketball court construction at Adamstown Park • Footpath and cycleway improvements at Chinchen Street and Hubbard Street, Islington • Major playspace and amenities at Gregson Park, Hamilton
• Drainage upgrades at Adamstown Park and Smith Park, Hamilton North • Road and drainage upgrades at Georgetown Road, Georgetown (Local Centre) • Road and drainage upgrades at Orchardtown Road, New Lambton (Local Centre) • Road reconstruction at Fogo Street, Wallsend • Construction of multipurpose community facility at Blackbutt Reserve, New Lambton • Newcastle Art Gallery expansion • Remediation of former landfill site at Astra Street, Shortland.
Delivering this record works program is a significant achievement for our organisation and community, enhancing Newcastle now and into the future to ensure it remains a great place to live, work, play and visit
newcastle.nsw.gov.au
Here is a closer look at a few of our major projects.
The facility complements previous upgrades delivered under the Plan of Management, including the adventure playground at Richley Reserve and enhancements to wildlife exhibits and recreation areas. The project honours the legacy of volunteers who operated a temporary kiosk on site for many years. Their dedication laid the foundation for the new facility, which is anticipated to serve more than 150,000 annual visitors to Blackbutt Reserve.
Remediation of former landfill, Astra Street, Shortland CN has delivered a transformative environmental remediation project at the former Astra Street landfill in Shortland, demonstrating our commitment to sustainability and long-term ecological health. Key components of the remediation include: • Capping and reprofiling the landfill with new clay layers to meet environmental standards • Improving drainage to manage surface water and sediment runoff • Revegetation and landscaping to promote biodiversity and support long-term native plant growth • Reinstating access roads to facilitate ongoing site management.
Read more about our capital works highlights
Acknowledgment of Country CN acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Local Government Area (LGA). We acknowledge that Country for Aboriginal peoples is an interconnected set of ancient relationships. We acknowledge the custodianship of the Traditional Custodians of this land and the care and stewardship they have performed in this place since time immemorial. “Wunyibu wunyibu warra wunyibu wunyibu gkuuba Aboriginal burrai.” Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.