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Hunter Correctional Centre
Hunter Correctional Centre is a maximum-security facility for male offenders located on Cessnock Correctional Complex. The Complex is located in the Hunter Valley, 151 km northwest of Sydney and 48 km west of Newcastle and also includes Cessnock and Shortland correctional centres.
Phone
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 runs a limited service from the Rover Depot in Cessnock to the Complex. View a bus timetable for Rover Coaches.
From Cessnock CBD, it is a half-hour walk or 5-minute taxi ride to the Centre.
For other travel information, go to Transport NSW.
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 metres on the right.
You may need to enter this information into your navigational device, as currently devices such as Navman and Garman, and mobile phone apps such as Google Maps, 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, phone the visit bookings line on (02) 4993 2333 on Wednesday or Thursday at the following times:
- 9:00 am to 12:00 pm; or
- 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
You can also book online using JUST Connect from Monday 9:00 am until Thursday 4:00 pm for the upcoming weekend.
Visit times
Before travelling to a centre for an in-person visit, please call to confirm your visit and visiting time.
In-person visit times
In-person visits take place on Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm.
Visitors need to arrive one hour before the start of their visit.
In-person visits can last up to 3 hours.
Video visit times
Video visits take place from Monday to Thursday, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
Video visits can last up to 20 minutes.
Legal visits
Legal practitioners may visit by appointment at the following times:
- 8:00 am to 11:00 am; or
- 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
You must notify the centre of your intention to visit by emailing HunterCCAdmin@correctiveservices.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
COVID-safety measures apply to in-person visits, make sure you know the rules before you book.
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) 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.
- 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 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
- 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.
Last updated:
We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Nations Peoples of NSW and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future.
Informed by lessons of the past, Department of Communities and Justice is improving how we work with Aboriginal people and communities. We listen and learn from the knowledge, strength and resilience of Stolen Generations Survivors, Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal communities.
You can access our apology to the Stolen Generations.