Beresfield, New South Wales

Beresfield /ˈbɛrəsfiːld/ is a north-western suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia 22 kilometres (14 mi) from Newcastle's central business district. It is part of the City of Newcastle local government area.

Beresfield
Newcastle, New South Wales
Population3,181 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)2322
Location
LGA(s)City of Newcastle
ParishAlnwick
State electorate(s)Wallsend
Federal Division(s)Paterson
Suburbs around Beresfield:
Thornton Woodberry Woodberry
Buttai Beresfield Tarro
Buttai Black Hill Black Hill

Population

According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 3,181 people in Beresfield.

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 5.6% of the population.
  • 86.0% of people were born in Australia and 89.4% of people only spoke English at home.
  • The most common responses for religion were No Religion 25.5%, Anglican 25.2% and Catholic 24.9%.[1]

Geography

Beresfield, like the neighbouring suburbs of Tarro, Woodberry and Thornton, is located on a low ridge rising out of the surrounding floodplain and wetlands of the Hunter River. Beresfield is divided by Anderson Drive (formerly Maitland Road) which runs east to west. The part of Beresfield to the north of Anderson Drive includes the shopping centre and railway station. The part south of Anderson Drive includes the bowling club, swimming pool, sports oval, golf course and Newcastle Memorial Park cemetery and crematorium.

Transport

It has a railway station, which opened in 1925.[2] The station is served by NSW TrainLink's Hunter line. The suburb is bisected by the New England Highway.

Facilities

The first public school in Beresfield was Upper Hexham Public School, now in the grounds of Beresfield Public School. The closest public secondary school is Francis Greenway High School.

Beresfield has a small shopping centre featuring a post office, banks, Food for Less (Woolworths) supermarket, newsagent, physiotherapist, doctors' surgeries, petrol stations, take-aways and other stores. There is a branch of the Newcastle Region Library and an unused police station.

Sporting facilities include a swimming pool, bowling club, golf course, cricket oval and rugby and soccer fields.

Churches include the Anglican church of St Pauls, which held its first service in 1949. The first timber St Pauls and its hall were built in 1955. A second brick church was built in 1980 following a fire.

In the 1970s a new Roman Catholic parish church, Our Lady of Lourdes, was built at Beresfield. The original parish church had been located in Tarro. A station was opened at Beresfield and to serve as a mass centre a former Army hut was transported from Greta and erected where the present parish church now stands. St Jude's was demolished with the new church taking the title of the old Parish church.[3]

Active clubs and associations include local Scouting, Girl Guides, Lions & Rotary Clubs. Beresfield Thornton Girl Guide District is a very active youth organisation. The Girl Guides continue to give service to the local community by participating in Clean Up Australia Day, fundraising for charity and collecting items for those less fortunate.

Beresfield is the location of Newcastle Memorial Park cemetery and crematorium.

Sport

Beresfield has many sporting clubs including Thornton-Beresfield Bears Rugby League Club, Beresfield Memorial Cricket Club, Beresfield Football & Senior Soccer Clubs, Beresfield Touch Football, Beresfield Netball Club and Beresfield Golf Club.

Industry

Beresfield has long been home to fathers employed in the mining industry in Newcastle.

The Kent Colliery was located in Beresfield. In the 1940s the colliery was the subject of an investigation into subsidence complaints.[4]

A major employer in the area has been the Baiada/Steggles poultry processing plant.


  • First public school in Beresfield, 1881
  • Beresfield Post Office
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References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Beresfield (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. "Main North Line". www.nswrail.net. Retrieved 22 November 2006.
  3. "Parish of Our Lady of Lourdes Beresfield". David Billington. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  4. "Minister to see Kent colliery". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. 13 April 1944. p. 4.
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