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Heritage
Maitland Taste was ‘Deconstructed’, or creatively pulled apart and served up over an extended area throughout Central Maitland in early May 2021. The event was held from Friday night to Sunday afternoon, with approximately 2,500 people attending the first night of the event. Foodies had the chance to explore the city to find pop up eateries, each with their own distinct taste. The church grounds of St John’s Parish in Cathedral Street were transformed into The Meating Place, the perfect place for BBQ lovers, with the crews from Smokin Hot n Saucy and Foghorn Brewery teaming up to cook it low and slow.
Turner Rest Park hosted Mezze Beats, which saw stalls, including Gnocked Up, serving Mediterranean delights accompanied by Euro sounds from DJ Perry Carter. Down Coffin Lane, you could find an exclusive Laneway Bar featuring locally made Gin from The Farmers Wife Distillery and tasty treats from Taco Locato.
Through the weekend The Levee featured some of the region’s best gourmet food and artisan market stalls, food trucks, cooking demonstrations, live music, kids activities and gardening demonstrations by Anambah locals, Purple Pear Farm. Of an evening, the city came to life with a vibrant, interactive lighting sculpture by Sydney based creatives Amigo Amigo and Illuminart. Kids could also immerse themselves in the illuminated Butterfly Dome by Newcastle sensory artist and designer Bliss Cavanagh.
Maitland Taste Deconstructed was held as a free event that brought the community together in a COVID safe way to celebrate the great food, wine and produce from Maitland and the Hunter Region.
COVID-19 IMPACTS 2021 EVENTS
With Public Health orders affecting Greater Sydney and regional NSW, Council was disappointed to have to announce the cancellation of many of our popular community events.
Aroma Coffee and Chocolate Festival
Aroma traditionally draws over 12,000 coffee and chocolate lovers to Central Maitland in August, with chocolatiers, baristas and coffee roasters coming from not only Maitland and the Hunter region but a large number also from the Greater Sydney area. The event will be back in August 2022.
Burton Automotive Hunter Valley Steamfest
Steamfest is Maitland’s largest event and is loved by many people, regularly attracting crowds of up to 50,000 steam lovers to Maitland. Steamfest relies on stakeholders and suppliers from right across NSW and regularly attracts visitors from NSW and interstate. The event will return in April 2022.
Contributing to Council Objective 6.2.3 To encourage adaptive and creative usage of privately owned heritage buildings
HERITAGE GRANTS
Each year incentives are provided for landowners and commercial tenants to part fund restoration or conservation works for heritage properties. The city wide heritage incentive scheme supports and encourages the ongoing preservation of heritage items within Maitland, to maintain our local character and history.
Applicants can access grants of up to $2,000 for conservation works on buildings or places of heritage significance.
Under the 2021 scheme a total of $41,624 was allocated across 21 projects.
FUNDING RECEIVED FOR HERITAGE PROJECTS
Council secured $153,000 in state government funding for four exciting heritage projects across Maitland that will seek to conserve, promote and understand more of Maitland’s rich heritage and history.
The projects include a Morpeth Aboriginal Cultural History Project, that will seek to embrace, document and share the rich Aboriginal history of the Morpeth area; the development of ‘Water Works!’ a digital tour experience of the water pumping technologies at Walka Water Works; a project to see the continuation of the staged conservation works on East Maitland Glebe Cemetery; and the interpretation and documentation of the historically significant Maitland Town Hall.
