“Not Good Enough” – Calls for Stockton Ferry Fleet Replacement

Frustration is growing among Stockton residents after the Newcastle to Stockton service went out of service yesterday for the second time this year.

Commuters had to wait nearly 30 minutes for bus replacements, taking their total travel time up to an hour for what would usually be a five minute trip.

Calls for new replacement ferries have been made by Newcastle Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp. Current vessels have been in service since 1986.

Stockton Resident Barbara Whitcher says the State Government needs to find a plan soon.

“The people I’m really concerned about are those that don’t have a car and those that need, such as students, [who] need to catch the ferry and get into town and then either walk to appointments or get on the light rail,” she said.

“So, it’s exceedingly inconvenient for people here at Stockton, people at Fern Bay, others that come down and catch the ferry.

“There needs to be a minimum of two ferries operable all the time. It would be handy to have three, but at the moment we’ve got one faulty one that’s operating and that’s just not good enough,” she said.

Fed Govt Commits $5 Million For Post Mining Land Use

 The Federal Government will spend $5 million on paperwork for the future uses of the Mount Arthur Coal Mine at Muswellbrook and Glencore’s Macquarie Coal site near Lake Macquarie, with closures expected in coming years.

Industry Minister Tim Ayres says the spend will support the Hunter’s transition and ensure mining re-use reflects the priorities of local communities.

It comes as a University of Newcastle study is published today on what 70 Muswellbrook locals would like to see after the Mount Arthur Mine closes.

Ideas include establishing a multi-purpose community hub supporting local enterprises.

Lead researcher Associate Professor Hedda Askland says there was discussion on the economic impacts of mining.

“We really wanted to speak to the grassroots. We wanted to speak to the people that we don’t normally hear, the voices that are normally that may be discussing these things around the kitchen table, but we don’t hear them in the public,” she said.

“Everybody agreed that there will be a change in what mining looks like. People wanted to, I guess, honour the industrial heritage.

“A lot of people spoke about the implications of the drive-in, drive-out workforce, the implications of shift work, The fact that Muswellbrook now has a two-tiered economy between those who work within the mining industries and those [who] don’t,” she said.

The State Government has also today introduced legislation to establish the Future Jobs and Investment Authority, which was promised in June.

The Bill gives the Authority the power to provide workforce support, and facilitate post mining land use.

Mount Arthur Mine. Credit / BHP

BREAKING! Crews Battling House Fire At Wangi Wangi

 BY IAN CROUCH

Fire has caused extensive damage to a home at Wangi Wangi.

Newcastle Fire Command says 5 fire trucks were sent to Lakeview Road just before 6 o'clock on Thursday November 20, arriving to find a fire in an external garage had spread to the single level timber and cladding home.

Crews have managed to control the blaze, which has caused damage to two bedrooms.

Fire and Rescue says no-one was home when the fire broke out.

The cause of the blaze has not yet been determined.

Crews are still working to fully extinguish the fire.

 

BREAKING! Sewer Main Break At Belmont: Hunter Water Crews On Scene

 BY IAN CROUCH

Hunter Water repair crews are working to fix a major problem with a sewer main at Belmont.

Newcastle Fire Command says crews from Belmont and the Hazmat unit from Newcastle were called to Capri Close just before 12.30am on Thursday November 20 to reports a sewer main had ruptured.

There were concerns untreated sewage was leaking into nearby Cold Tea Creek.

Hunter Water crews have shut off a sewer pump and restricted access to the area while repairs are carried out.

It's not clear at this stage if the break has impacted local homes or the creek.

Hunter Water has been contacted for comment.
 

 

13-Year-Old Boy Charged Over Random Sex Attack On Elderly Woman At Ashtonfield

 BY IAN CROUCH

A 13-year-old boy has been refused bail accused of knocking down and sexually assaulting an elderly woman at Ashtonfield near Maitland.

It's alleged the woman in her 80's was walking through Brooklyn Park at about 7.20pm on Monday November 17 when she was attacked by a young male who then left the scene on a scooter.

The woman was taken to the John Hunter Hospital for treatment.

Following extensive inquiries and a public appeal for information, police went to a home at East Maitland on Tuesday night and arrested a 13-year-old boy.

He's been charged with aggravated sexual assault, sexually touch another person without consent and incite another to sexually touch them without consent.

He faced a children's court in Sydney yesterday (Wednesday 19 November, 2025) and has been refused bail to face the Broadmeadow Children's Court in January.

 

Nine Bikie Members Arrested Over Alleged Sexual Touching And Brawls In The Hunter

 BY IAN CROUCH

Raptor Squad police have charged nine alleged Finks outlaw motorcycle gang members following an investigation into drug, firearm, affray and sexual touching related offences in the Hunter.

On Saturday November 1, police allege a 25-year-old woman was inappropriately touched on three separate occasions by a man she didn't know at a Merewether hotel.

Later the same night, police say three men were involved in a fight at the same hotel with one man threatening a patron with a cutlery knife.

Then the following Saturday, it's alleged a group of men attacked patrons outside a licenced premises in Shoal Bay.

Following extensive investigations, police executed warrants in Lake Macquarie, Cessnock and Maitland arresting eight men aged between 28 and 40 and a 26-year-old woman. 

Police allege weapons including unauthorised firearms and ammunition were found at properties in Maitland, Windale and Bellbird.

 

MAITLAND – Teen charged following alleged sexual assault of woman in her 80s

 NOTE: This story contains material some readers may find confronting.

A 13-year-old boy will face a children’s court charged with sexually assaulting an elderly woman at Ashtonfield on Monday.

Police allege the woman was walking in Brooklyn Park when she was allegedly knocked to the ground and sexually assaulted by the boy.

Detectives with Port Stephens Hunter District and the State Crime Command’s Sex Crimes Squad commenced inquiries under Strike Force Bosgar.

Detectives executed a search warrant at a home in East Maitland, and the boy was charged with a string of offences to face court today.

Brooklyn Park. Credit / Maitland Council