Restored Shepherds Hill Cottage opens as cafe after $1.8 million transformation
City of Newcastle(City of Newcastle)
Newy 87.8 FM – Shepherds Hill Cottage will open to the public for the first time on Wednesday as Newcastle's newest cafe, following a $1.8 million restoration by City of Newcastle.
Eddie's at Shepherds Hill will operate from the 1890s-built former military mess hall, which sits at the mid-point of the Bathers Way coastal walk with views stretching from Port Stephens to Dudley.
Lord Mayor Gavin Morris said the building had been a fixture of the coastline for more than 130 years but had never before been open to the public, having previously been occupied by Defence and Marine Rescue NSW.
Local hospitality duo Noah Leonard and Blake Gontier of Noke Group will run the cafe. "It's been a long road to get here, so we're excited to finally open the doors and welcome the community in," Mr Leonard said.
The restoration began after the 2015 super storm, which caused more than $800 million in damage across the region and forced Marine Rescue NSW to vacate the building. Marine Rescue moved into a $3 million purpose-built facility at Stockton in December 2023.
Recent works included a commercial kitchen, upgraded amenities and a new accessible entry path, with heritage interpretation signage to be finalised in coming weeks. The final phase was supported by a $465,000 grant from the NSW Government's Crown Reserves Improvement Fund.
The site served as a command position during World War II and is the only coastal defence site in Australia crewed simultaneously by the Royal Australian Navy, Army and Air Force.
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