The revitalisation of Newcastle is expanding past the city’s centre with the continued spread of urban renewal into nearby suburbs. Hamilton is the most recent suburb to undergo revitalisation with continued investment in the area by locals and entrepreneurs alike.
New owners of The Exchange Andrew Lazarus and Liam Constantine see Hamilton as a growth area for Newcastle and expect the area to continue to boom in the coming years.
“With the recent development of The Exchange, and other local venues, The Greenroof and The Sydney Junction Hotel, we argue that the area rivals Darby Street and Honeysuckle as a destination precinct,” Andrew said.
“There’s great potential in all areas of Newcastle, not just within the CBD, and with urban sprawl continuing at a rapid pace, it was a no brainer to invest in Hamilton.”
“Beaumont Street and the entire area is undergoing a period of rejuvenation and it’s only going to get better from here.”
“Hamilton is also bucking the small bar trend and reinvigorating Newcastle’s ‘pub scene’ in the suburbs with good quality food and great music.”
After three months of renovations, The Exchange has opened paying homage to the pubs roots but also adding a modern flare.
“We’ve restored elements of the venue back to its original state to when it was The Miners’ Exchange, while also adding a few new features,” Liam said. “The cast iron balustrades along the veranda have been refurbished and we’ve exposed the original brickwork of the venue, however we’ve also added a few modern twists including a grass roof and DJ booth.”
“While we don’t shy away from the venue’s past, for those that haven’t visited the place in a while, you won’t recognise it.”
For Andrew, an owner of The Eastern Hotels Group and Liam, this is the pairs first venture in Newcastle and they bring with them their Sydney based restaurant Goodtime Burgers, opening their third restaurant Australia-wide within The Exchange.
