Broadmeadow

Origins Broadmeadow was originally part of the Newcastle Pasturage Reserve of 648 hectares. It developed around the Great Northern Railway, the road to Newcastle's western suburbs and the construction of the Sydney to Newcastle Railway in the 1880s. The depot was then used for the stabling & servicing of Diesel locomotives until the depot was closed in 1994. ==Facilities==

There are two high schools in Broadmeadow: Hunter School of Performing Arts, whose students have to pass a performance trial, and Merewether High School. The latter is the only academically selective secondary school in the Newcastle region. Broadmeadow is home to the Newcastle Regional Showground, which holds the Newcastle Show and has the Newcastle Entertainment Centre, which hosts concerts and other large-scale performances. The Hunter Pirates basketball team previously played home games at the Entertainment Centre before being relocated to Singapore. District Park within Broadmeadow has been the base of the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service since 1973. Broadmeadow contains the Broadmeadow Racecourse, situated in Darling Street. Broadmeadow Shopping Centre (formerly known as Newcastle Central) has a Spar supermarket and is complemented by ten speciality shops. ==Demographics==

In the 2021 Census, there were 1,688 people in Broadmeadow. 78.5% of people were born in Australia and 81.5% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 50.4, Catholic 16.6% and Anglican 8.2%. == Heritage listings ==

Broadmeadow has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: • Premiers and Railway Commissioners Rail Car Collection • Main Northern railway: Broadmeadow Railway Locomotive Depot ==References==