council

An ambitious project to revitalise Newcastle's CBD by populating vacant shops with community projects may be up and running by christmas.

In less than two months, Newcastle-born arts identity Marcus Westbury has taken the idea from the publiuc meeting stage to being ready to sigtn contracts with prospective landlords.

His Renew Newcastle organisation now has a formal board which involves such figures as Hunter Business Chamber Chief Peter Shinnick and architecture force Professor Steffan Lechmann with prominent legal firm Sparke Helmore offering advice free of charge.

"It was founded to help solve the problem of Newcastle's empty CBD," Mr Westbury said.

Dungog Shire is one of the twelve council areas covered by CultureHunter. It is a beautiful area that will be loved by anyone looking for that quiet place to escape the hustle and bustle of the bigger towns. Dungog is an easy hour's drive from Newcastle CBD.

Do you know what 'Dungog' means? The area was named by the Gringai tribe and is the Aboriginal name for 'place of thinly wooded hills'. 

Its two main rivers, the Williams and the Paterson, contribute to about 40 percent of the water flow in the Hunter River, and there are a number of locations perfect for swimming in the warmer months.