Newcastle Family History Society Podcasts

In our series, Memories of Newcastle, society member Lea Harris takes us back to the days of the Stockton Tweed Factory, a forgotten piece of our local history.

In this episode Jane Ison takes you back to the very first graveyard in Newcastle – the burial ground at Christ Church, high on the hill where the Anglican Cathedral now stands.

Mel Woodford takes a look at some of the early landholders & the female convicts who were assigned to them.

Written by the late Maree Shilling, this podcast tells of a little-known chapter in Newcastle’s history during World War II, from the recollections of a young girl who experienced that time.

Society member Jane Ison takes us on a journey into the past, to a place thousands pass by daily without knowing what lies beneath —Rest Park in Wallsend, once the site of the town’s first cemetery.

Join us on a journey through more than two centuries of sacred history — the story of Christ Church Cathedral, the spiritual heart and architectural crown of Newcastle.

In the 19th century, Newcastle evolved from a remote convict outpost into a thriving coal powerhouse — a true “coalopolis.”

In Part 2, Julie Keating picks up the story as monopolies, industrial ambition, and engineering ingenuity reshape the city’s future.

In Part Two, we move to Australian soil where Dr Jude Conway uncovers the extraordinary events at Bob’s Farm camp—where race, politics, and humanity collided in unexpected and lasting ways.