13km north-west of Newcastle’s CBD, Hexham holds a unique place in Australian
railway history. In 1853 the Hunter River Railway Company was formed to build
a rail link between Newcastle, Maitland and beyond. The first stage was to
be a single line between Newcastle and Hexham, but the company got into financial
strife before the job was finished and the government had to take over its
assets in 1855.
Hexham is recognisable as a name on the freeway signs on the northern approaches
to Newcastle. Its nexus with Newcastle and the Hunter River mirrors the link
between the northern England industrial city of Newcastle-on-Tyne and the
historic old town of Hexham.
