The demolition of Newcastle’s iconic Queens Wharf West building has begun, bringing an end to a chapter filled with decades of memories.
The fire-damaged waterfront building began coming down on Wednesday, 12 August, more than six years after a blaze in May 2020 left much of the structure unusable.
Newcastle Lord Mayor Gavin Morris said the demolition marked the beginning of something new for one of the city’s most prominent waterfront sites.
“It’s been a long time coming, the Queens Wharf brewery finally coming down,” Cr Morris said.
“For many of us, lots of memories are wrapped up in that building.”
Cr Morris said he had his own memories of the building, including nights spent DJing with friends.
“We had some wonderful nights back in those days,” he said.
“But sadly, this building was not built to last.
“It had a short life time expectancy and it’s somewhat overdue.”
With the western building now being removed, attention will turn to what could take its place.
The future of Queens Wharf West is yet to be determined, with City of Newcastle progressing planning for the long-term use of the site.
The precinct attracted almost 1,800 comments and suggestions during recent community engagement, with 97 per cent of respondents endorsing the overall vision for its revitalisation.
While the future design and use of the site is still to be decided, Cr Morris indicated private investment could play a role in bringing the next chapter to life.
“I’d say privately funded,” he said.
“We don’t have the funds.
“This is our land…we’ll be looking for private enterprise.”
Demolition of Queens Wharf West is expected to take up to six months, depending on weather and site conditions.
The Queens Wharf Hotel will continue trading under its current lease until 2033.
For now, the excavators are signalling the end of the building as Newcastle looks towards what could become one of the city’s biggest transformations in decades.
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