KIDS have been caught climbing onto the balcony of the vacant Queens Wharf building and jumping several metres into Newcastle Harbour.
Concerning photographs captured on Wednesday, January 31, show a boy holding a hose, likely to break the water, while another plummeted down and out over the boardwalk area.
It's sparked a warning from City of Newcastle - which owns the fire-damaged premises - that security patrols monitor at all council facilities.
"Unauthorised access to the Queens Wharf building is prohibited," a spokesperson told the Newcastle Herald.
"The community is encouraged to report illegal and unsafe behaviour they may witness to NSW Police."
The spokesperson said council was exploring "options for renewal and improvement of the site" which will be subject to community engagement later this year.
"City of Newcastle recognises the Queens Wharf precinct provides important community, economic, tourism and other benefits," they said.
Council told the Herald in June last year that it was "likely better to demolish and construct a new" western Queens Wharf building than repair the fire-damaged space that has been vacant for more than two years.
A fire broke out in the Wharf Road building in May 2020, causing major damage to all three floors, though some areas continued operating before the site became empty in December 2020.
It previously housed several eateries including Six Degrees and Cielo Italiano, as well as Harbourside Function Centre.
The Queens Wharf buildings were opened in 1988 by Queen Elizabeth II on her Bicentennial tour of Australia.
Separately, police in 2018 investigated shocking footage of a man diving off the roof of the Queens Wharf Hotel into Newcastle Harbour.
