Aiming for the Future

Who We Are

Newcastle Smallbore and Air Rifle Club is a not-for-profit incorporated association which promotes and participates in various disciplines of rimfire and air rifle competition shooting.

We are affiliated, through our state body, with Target Rifle Australia. Smallbore Rifle and Air Rifle are the only rifle disciplines shot at the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Benchrest World Titles. The world bodies controlling these disciplines are the International Shooting Sport Federation (I.S.S.F.), the International Paralympic Committee (I.P.C) and the World Rimfire and Airgun Benchrest Federation (W.R.A.B.F.)

We have within our club numerous members who hold not only State and National titles but have also represented Australia on the International stage. Club officials and other club members will be able to assist you with all aspects of smallbore shooting such as coaching, equipment, ammunition, and opportunities.

Members are given the chance to participate not only in our club championship, the NSBARC Cup (single competition card shot at 10am on all our open days), but also as part of a team travelling to various events at regional, state, and national level.

Competition not for you or not sure where to start? Come along to any of our open days and find out what we are about, we’d love to see you.

Newcastle Smallbore and Air Rifle Club

What NSBARC Offers

  • Licensed for “Sighting In” for both Air and Rimfire Rifles up to 0.22 calibre.
  • Hunting Club Practice
  • 5 lane 10m indoor Air rifle range for both standing and supported.
  • 24 Lane 25/50m range primarily used for Benchrest.
  • Only STANDARD VELOCITY ammunition is permitted (as a general guide, speeds less than or equal to 1080 ft/sec are subsonic on our range)
  • Purchase of ammunition available. Non-members must use purchased ammo on the day and cannot remove unused ammunition from the premises.

What You Need to Bring

  • Fully enclosed shoes
  • We accept Australian-issued and most international chip cards or magstripe cards with a Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and JCB logo, as well as bank-issued eftpos chip cards.
  • Photo ID for “try shooting”
  • Licensed shooters must have their firearms license with them. This cannot be a picture.

The Beginning

Range History

Many of us drive through Edith Street in Waratah on a weekly basis. It’s commonly known as the home of The Calvary Mater Hospital.

Just up from the hospital is the Maroba retirement complex. Many of us don’t know the history that this site had with the building of Newcastle’s strong harbour breakwater.

More than 100 years ago it was known as ‘No.2 Quarry’ or ‘Platt’s Quarry.’ The finest stone was found at this site with some areas having stone that was 50 feet thick. Between October 1898 and June 1900 stone was cut from Platts Quarry to build the Stockton breakwater. Approximately 50,000 tonnes was transported between 1898 to 1900 from Waratah to Stockton to build the breakwater out into the ocean. Each stone block weighed up to 34 tonnes each.

To lift these immense stone blocks a 30 tonne steam crane was constructed at the centre of the quarry which required 24 men to operate it (see below picture). Once the stone was quarried it was taken by railway to a wharf in Carrington and then ferried across the Hunter River to the north Stockton foreshore. From here a 30 tonne gantry crane at Clyde Street, Stockton, was then used to lift the stone blocks onto a railway tip-wagon for final placement on the breakwall. The Stockton breakwater was built 80 years after convicts built Macquarie Pier on the opposite side of the harbour at Nobbys. Without the heavy stone from Waratah the larger, longer and stronger breakwater in Stockton would not have been possible. The breakwater was finished in 1912.

Waratah has a vast history in the building of Newcastle as it had many quarries operating since the 1870’s. Back then Waratah was much a larger area than it is now.