OPINION: Time to restore iconic site to its glory days

Being the third oldest operational lighthouse in Australia, it contains a lot of history; history that has largely gone untold at the site.

Did you know that the headland wasn't always joined to the mainland?

Prior to 1818, it was an island where the worst convicts were sent. In 1818, the largest early major public works project with convict labour in a penal settlement was undertaken to construct Macquarie Pier, and thus Nobbys Island became a headland connected to the mainland.

In the interests of naval navigation, the entire headland was nearly removed in the 1850s, but our good forefathers responded to public protests and decided instead to manually chop off half its height, forming the shape that it is today. The old photographs of this are quite amazing.

The construction of the current lighthouse was completed in 1857, and thus commenced a life rich in navigational history, with families and workers living at the site to guide ships safely in the night.

The lighthouse has been officially unmanned since 1935 when it was converted to electric operation, however live-in caretakers occupied the cottages up until 2001.

There's much, much more rich Nobbys history screaming to be told.

Since 2011, Newcastle NOW has held a licence to access the grounds and has been working hard to facilitate a community outcome for the iconic site by cleaning up one of the cottages, and facilitating the first public access to the grounds in 150 years.

Due to public interest, a historical photography exhibition in one of the cottages was recently installed.

At present, Nobbys Lighthouse and Grounds are open to the public every Sunday from 10am to 4pm. There's been a number of public events held there, including film screenings, photography, art, music and dance exhibitions. Additionally, the site is available for bookings for weddings and other functions, and as a set location for filmmakers.

Since the grounds first opened to the public three years ago, 93,000 people have made the journey up the steep hill to enjoy the breathtaking views, indicating the appeal the site still has for Hunter residents.

In December 2013, Newcastle NOW signed a short-term lease agreement with Newcastle Port Corporation to continue efforts to provide equitable public access to the site.

The need for conservation of the site's environmental and heritage values are paramount, however this can be done while still establishing Nobbys in its rightful position as the region's premier destination for visitors and locals.

Those who have visited the site would have noticed that only one of the three cottages on the grounds has been partly restored and opened.

It is important to improve the general amenity of the grounds by cleaning up and making safe the rest of these cottages, and the community must be involved in this project.

Delivering a high quality visitor experience can be achieved by providing opportunities for all visitors to safely enjoy the vast panoramic vista and learn about the site's rich cultural history. This will only happen if the public can safely access all of the cottages for diverse heritage interpretation displays and other sensitive activities.

Newcastle NOW's aim is to ultimately restore the cottages to their former glory by reinstating the ceilings, lighting and power, polishing the timber floorboards and repainting the interior.

Newcastle NOW is a non-profit, community organisation which has already received a significant amount of offers from local businesses and community members who have visited the site and want to help in its restoration.

We have assembled a team of local professionals who are contributing their time pro bono to lead the project and we are about to enter into a partnership with Corrective Services to undertake the initial clean-up.

It's time Nobbys shone once again.