Argenton is a suburb of the

city of Lake Macquarie The City of Lake Macquarie is a local government area (LGA) in the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city on 7 September 1984. It is adjacent to the city of Newcastle and is part of the Greater Newcastle area. ...

Greater Newcastle Newcastle, also commonly referred to as Greater Newcastle ( ; ), is a large Metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the second-most-populous such area of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the cities of City of Newcastle, Newcastle and Ci ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

west of the Newcastle's

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

in Lake Macquarie's West Ward.

History

The

Awabakal The Awabakal people , are those Aboriginal Australians who identify with or are descended from the Awabakal tribe and its clans, Indigenous to the coastal area of what is now known as the Hunter Region of New South Wales. Their traditional te ...

people are the first people of the area. Lead smelting commenced in the area in 1898. A public school opened in 1897, but was closed six years later. Another school opened in 1953. The Newcastle Mines Rescue Station opened in 1927. The Waratah Golf Club was formed in 1901 and is the oldest golf club in

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

. The

Cockle Creek Smelter Cockle Creek Smelter was a zinc and lead smelter located at the northern end of Lake Macquarie near Boolaroo in Newcastle, New South Wales. The smelter was built in by the Sulphide Corporation in 1896 and the first attempts to refine zinc using t ...

was confirmed to begin disassembly in 2005 for the cost of approx $6 mil. In 2009 it was nearing the end of demolition with clearing and replanting of land.

Population

In the 2021 Census, the population of Argenton was 1,352. 85.7% of people were born in Australia and 87.4% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 41.5%, Catholic 18.6% and Anglican 16.1%. In the 2016 Census, the population of Argenton was 1,351. 86.6% of people were born in Australia and 88.1% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 27.6%, Anglican 21.7% and Catholic 20.6%.

Local interests

Argenton is a small suburb of Lake Macquarie commonly recognised for its BMX Club, Soccer Club and longstanding Bakery which under initial ownership claimed to have the best meat pie in Australia. With the opening of Glendale Supercentre within the boundaries of Argenton, the area has seen rapid growth in visitors travelling through the suburb. The demolition of the Cockle Creek Smelter saw 360 people losing their employment although it caused much pollution to the surrounding areas. Much controversy surrounded the smelter and many saw both positive and negative factors in its closing.

References

External links

History of Argenton
{{City of Lake Macquarie suburbs Suburbs of Lake Macquarie