[8] The beach is home to the Cooks Hill Surf Life Saving Club.

[9] The Australian Agricultural Company held extensive Crown land grants in the Newcastle area that have since been developed into the modern day suburbs of Bar Beach, Cooks Hill, Hamilton and Broadmeadow as well as parts of the Newcastle Central Business District and The Hill.

[10][11] The Company released lots for residential development in Bar Beach in 1924.

The suburb has a number of local landmarks which have been heritage listed including the Cooks Hill Surf Life Saving Club and Memorial, Reid Park Tennis Clubhouse and Tennis Courts and the Empire Park Bowling Club Fence.

A number of residential units in the Art Deco style have also attracted heritage listing.