Hunter Correctional Centre

Hunter Correctional Centre is a maximum-security facility for male offenders located on the Cessnock Correctional Complex. The Complex is located in the Hunter Valley, 151km northwest of Sydney and 48km west of Newcastle and also includes Cessnock and Shortland correctional centres.

Phone

(02) 4993 2333

Street address

Tuhega Drive
Off Lindsay St
Cessnock NSW 2325

Postal address

PO Box 612
Cessnock NSW 2325

How to get there

Public transport

Rover Coaches have a limited service that runs from the Rover Depot in Cessnock to the complex. Please check the Rover Coaches website for a timetable.

From the Cessnock CBD, it is a half-hour walk or a 5-minute taxi ride to the centre.

Private transport

The entrance to Cessnock Correctional Complex is off Wine Country Drive, turn into Kerlew Street and Left to Occident Street.  The main entry gate is approximately 75 mtrs on the right.

You will need to enter this into any 'navigational' device, as currently most devices such as Navman, Google maps, Garman and mobile phone apps appear to use an incorrect access road.

Visitor information

Bookings

Bookings for video and in-person visits are required and can be made by phone or via Just Connect.

To make a booking, please phone the visit bookings line on (02) 4993 2333 Wednesday, Thursday between 9:00am - 12:00pm and  1:00pm - 3:00pm.

Just Connect online bookings are open from 09:00am Monday and close at 4:00pm on Thursday.

Visit times

Before travelling to a centre for an in-person visit, please call to confirm your visit and visiting time.

New COVID-safety measures apply to in-person visits, make sure you know the rules before you book.

In-person visit times

In-person visits take place on Saturday and Sunday:

• 8:30 AM
• 12:30 PM

Visitors need to arrive one hour before the start of their visit. Visit duration is three hours.

Video visit times

Video visits have been temporarily suspended and are currently under review.

Legal visits

Legal practitioners may visit by appointment only between 8am and 11am or between 1pm and 3pm. You must notify the centre of your intention to visit by emailing HunterCCAdmin@justice.nsw.gov.au at least 24 hours before your visit.

We recommend that legal representatives contact the complex on the morning of their proposed visit to confirm the appointment.

Conditions of entry

Appropriate dress standards

The visits area is a family environment. You must dress appropriately. This generally means clothes must be respectable and not too provocative.

You cannot wear anything that hides your face, except for religious reasons. In that case you will be asked to remove your face covering temporarily so staff can verify your identity.

Inappropriate dress (PDF, 419.1 KB) (PDF , 419.0 KB) includes:

• Clothes that have possibly controversial logos, words or slogans such as:
  • Motorcycle gang 'colours' or gang insignias
  • Logos or symbols associated with drugs or drug paraphernalia or swear words
• Tight or revealing clothing including:
  • Tops and dresses that expose the stomach or chest
  • Swimsuits or skirts or shorts shorter than mid-thigh
  • Mesh or other "see-through" clothes
  • Clothes that are excessively dirty, ripped or frayed
• Heels higher than 5 centimetres
• Any jewellery other than a plain wedding band, sleepers and studs. This means no engagement ring or any other ring with stones, and no bracelets or necklaces
• Tops or jumpers with a hood
• Hats, scarves or head coverings (excluding religious wear)
• Hair scrunchies or clips. Only single elasticated hair ties are allowed
• Watches, smart watches or activity trackers
• Bare feet.

Concerns about inmate health

You can contact us if you are worried about the health of a family member or friend in custody.

General concerns

If you want to give us mental health information only, call Justice Health NSW Mental Health Helpline on 1800 222 472 – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you want to give information about mental or physical health, or have concerns about access to medication, you can:

• call Justice Health NSW on (02) 9700 3000 between 8:00am to 4:00pm
• email JHFMHN-clo@health.nsw.gov.au.

Find out more about the Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network (Justice Health NSW).

Urgent concerns

If you want to give us urgent or important information so that we can take immediate action for your family member or friend, call the correctional centre on (02) 4993 2333.  Choose option 2 for Hunter correctional centre, then press 9 to speak to a customer service representative.

Urgent information about your family member or friend might include:

• risks to self, e.g. thoughts of self-harm, thoughts of suicide
• risks to others, e.g. thoughts of harm to others
• acute medical concerns, e.g. heart attack.