Cheaper tickets, bigger artists… that’s the promise from those behind the highly-anticipated Cedar Mill development in Lake Macquarie.
As work continues at the venue, which is set to enhance the Hunter’s reputation as a prime regional entertainment location, expectations are high as to who will open the “purpose-built” 30,000-capacity amphitheatre.
Rumours have been circulating for some time and, hopefully, we’ll get answers soon.
In the meantime, with the acoustic design, locale and seating all being expertly planned out, Cedar Mill is set to fulfil all the region’s live music needs.
The $235 million Morisset structure began construction in 2023 and has faced significant delays mainly due to architectural revisions of the seating, among other issues.
But, with an opening date slated for the beginning of 2026, Hunter and Lake Macquarie entertainment fans have a lot to look forward to.
Head of Winarch Live Ewen Craig admitted it was important to bring the industry to the region.
“A lot of the tours are only playing East Coast now, or some of them are only doing Sydney and Melbourne,” he said.
“Whereas this venue can open up a brand-new population base that’s Central Coast, Lake Macquarie and Newcastle.
“This will become the local venue for that region and there’s more than 1.1 million people who live in that population corridor.”
While most international touring acts perform in stadiums such as Sydney’s Accor or Qudos and Brisbane’s Suncorp, Mr Craig said Cedar Mill’s design would provide a much better listening experience.
“Ours is being built as a concert venue, it’s not being built as a rectangle sports field and then converted into a live music location for the night,” he told the Newcastle Weekly.
With permanent delay tours designed by one of the world’s largest sound modelling company’s JPJ Audio, a premium listening experience is guaranteed, too.
“Those guys have built it to ensure that every spectator will have an absolutely clear hearing pattern,” he said.
A recent Live Music Census conducted by Winarch Group found 74% of people found it difficult to attend concerts due to cost-of-living pressures and ticket prices.
This struggle is also felt among international performers who may not be willing to make the journey to Australia because of the impending financial concerns.
Mr Craig said the convenient location of Cedar Mill could alleviate the monetary pressures on promoters and artists.
“If they’re just playing Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, we can give them the opportunity to add a fourth show to their run, because three isn’t often enough to make them come down,” he stated.
“So, it’s extremely cost-effective for them… and they might not even have to move out of their hotel in Sydney.”
An additional drawing factor is the flexible outdoor setting, which is marginally cheaper than temporary infrastructure which is commonly used in other Hunter Valley locations.
“It’ll be a natural flow through for patrons,” Mr Craig said.
“By having a more financially sustainable venue, it means the running costs are lower.
“Therefore, it means the promoters won’t have to jack up their ticket prices.”
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