About the Hunter Tapestry at the Great Hall

The Hunter tapestry was created by Larry and Mary Beeston and was commissioned by The Friends of the University of Newcastle. The cost and its installation ($45,000) was met from the funds raised by The Friends by the 1987 Book Fair. The Hunter Tapestry is designed by Mary Beeston and woven by Larry Beeston and Rachel Frecker. It was presented to the University on 6 August 1988 (Campus Bulletin - Presentation of Tapestry).

Two and a half metres high and eighteen metres ling, it is a series of 12 panels celebrating the major events that have made the Hunter Valley what it is today. The pre-history of the volcanic age, the glacial era, the inundation of the ocean and the first signs of vegetable and animal life lead into the coming of man to the Valley. The, the soldiers, convicts and farmers change the environment, and the Valley, with its towns and cities as we know it, develops. A deep blue river runs through the whole length of the Tapestry, a river of life for the Valley.

These photographs of the tapestry were taken by Charles Hardy for the C50 Celebrations in 2015.