Catherine Hill Bay town (being a combination of Main Camp, Middle Camp and Mine Camp villages), its industrial history, its cultural and its environmental setting has long been acknowledged as significant.
The Hunter REP (Regional Environmental Plan) and the Lake Macquarie City Council (LMCC) identified the area as significant many years ago.
A much larger area was further identified by the State Government in the review of the LMCC LEP in 2000.
This expanded area encompassed the town and its visible setting, which extended to the ridge along Pacific Highway and to the beach encompassing the cliffs, the Manager’s precinct, the Jetty and Moonee Beach.
On 22 March 2004 Lake Macquarie City Council adopted Heritage Guidelines, which emphasized the important character of the area and identified the importance of the town and its setting as interconnected aspects.
In 2010 the NSW Heritage Office listed Catherine Hill Bay, having identified the town and its setting as being of state significance. It is one of only two towns in NSW with this listing. The heritage listing extended to the mine company’s structures but excluded the jetty until an appropriate adaptive reuse could be established.