Charlestown Square
Charlestown Square is a large indoor/outdoor shopping centre in the suburb of Charlestown in the City of Lake Macquarie. Transport. Charlestown Square has bus connections to City of Lake Macquarie suburbs and Newcastle suburbs, as well as local surrounding suburbs. It is served by Newcastle Buses, Sugar Valley Coachlines and Port Stephens Coaches. Charlestown Square has multi level car parks with 2,254 spaces. History. Charlestown Square opened on 27 March 1979 as a two level centre and featured Kmart, Coles New World and 50 speciality stores. The centre underwent significant investment in extensions and modifications. The upgrades  occurred in 1983 and in 1989 which added a Grace Bros department store and the first modern food court known as ‘Charlie’s Magic Eatery’. It also went through upgrades in 1996 and 2000. Charlestown Square commenced the $470 million expansion after obtaining support from Lake Macquarie City Council in January 2008. A number of people have been opposed to the expansion, including local member of parliament Matthew Morris. The redevelopment was completed in October 2010 and featured 110 new specialty shops including Rebel Sport and JB Hi-Fi. An entertainment precinct also opened featuring eight screen Reading Cinemas  complex (which holds two Gold Lounge cinemas), Strike Bowling Bar and restaurants. Reading Cinemas officially opened on 21 October 2010. A further expansion in 2015 saw Charlestown Square undergo a major redevelopment in a section of the centre known best for the former residency of Best and Less. This development meant the closure of 34 retailers during construction but brought major international retailers such as H&M and Mecca to the centre. German supermarket Aldi also opened within the centre in 29 June 2016. H&M opened at Charlestown Square on 14 July 2016 along with a flagship Cotton On store. Charlestown  Square planned its $4.6 million redevelopment featuring new bars and cafes in the expansion. On 5 December 2019 Charlestown Square opened its new dining precinct known as 'The Corner', which featured six new contemporary restaurants. Around that time a renovated Timezone opened. Tenants. Charlestown Square has 93,400m² of floor space. The major retailers include Myer, Big W, Target, Aldi, Coles, Woolworths, Cotton On, H&M, Apple, JB Hi-Fi, Timezone, Holey Moley, Strike Bowling Bar and Reading Cinemas.