One of Newcastle’s outer inner-suburbs, Wickham is an unassuming suburb that sits alongside the Hunter River.
Nestled between the river, Islington, Hamilton and Newcastle West, Wickham is only three kilometres from the Newcastle CBD and is home to the Newcastle Interchange, a central transport hub. Carrington runs parallel with Wickham, just across the river.
Although spelt differently, Wickham is named after the English suburb of Whickham in Newcastle upon Tyne. Established in 1871, much of Wickham’s identity has been around the train line that cut the suburb off from the rest of the city. However, in recent years and with the removal of the train line, more cafes and bars have popped up in the area.
Wickham also has an important indigenous history. In 2014 it was discovered that Wickham was an ancient Corroboree ground, an indigenous celebration space. Most of the ancient land has been built on and little remains of the first nation’s celebration place.
A couple of things also tie Wickham to European settlement. “The Tree of Knowledge”, planted by one of Wickham’s founding families, still resides by the waterfront. The tree is a tribute to poet Henry Lawson, although the local theory is it was a well-used resting place for intoxicated men who felt compelled to share their “knowledge” with passers-by. The Lass O’Gowrie, Newcastle’s oldest pub, once hosted Henry Lawson who read poetry from the bar. In the last 15 years “The Lass” has become a hotspot in Newcastle’s live music scene. The Croatian Sports Club in Wickham Park is another local music attraction.