Hunter Village

It was a brave venture at the time. In 1986 (anyone?) a small arcade was carved out of 509 Hunter Street Newcastle, its shops quickly occupied by a community of adventurous vendors. 

Throsby wasn't one of those. He was a shopper, a regular visitor to the electronics store therein. I think it was DGE Electronics - if not, one run by a former associate with a broad English dialect :0)

Situated opposite Worth Place, memory tells me the village was a thriving little spot for a while, although the business folk who came and eventually left might have a different opinion. Shops nearby in Hunter Street, however, have continued to survive, suggesting it wasn't such a bad location.

Some time in the next 20 years or so (again, anyone?) it was boarded up to become a canvas, another of many around the city that bore serial masterpieces to puzzle, amuse, or delight passersby. 

We caught a few and here they are. 

Street Front

June 2009

September 2009

December 2009

December 2013

Eastern side 2014

Being an arcade, the shops formed a U-shape along eastern, southern, and western walls. This first view (from inside the ruins, like all below) is looking towards Hunter Street at the boarding's rear, and along the eastern wall. The distant building is (in 2024) Honeysuckle Day Hospital, at 19A Honeysuckle Drive.

Above: Eastern wall with Hunter Street at left.
Below: Towards the rear in sequence.

Western side 2014

From inside, towards Hunter Street, the western wall. Followed in sequence by images of graffiti towards the rear.

Above: Viewed south, distant graffiti on the rear of King Street buildings.

The one at (mid) right being (fairly sure?) Hunter Antiques at 374 King Street, formerly Antiques on Hunter. The cleared land is in preparation for Sky Residences. We did a trip around that space at this time to capture the graffiti on surrounding walls. They can be viewed half way down the King Street article.

Around the back 2014

From where Sky Residences now stand, looking roughly north east, 497 Hunter Street apartments are at right and the rear of 509 Hunter Street - aka Hunter Village - is at left.

Above: Taken from where the parking lot now sits between 497 and 505 Hunter Street (501?) and viewed towards Hunter Street, Worth Place, and Honeysuckle in the distance.
Below: The tiny "backyard" of 507 survives yet today, according to satellite images. This is how the rear of shops generally look - a view we rarely if ever get to see, as they're so often hard against a towering brick wall. But we always wonder.