An intense blaze has ripped through an iconic Lake Macquarie heritage house and destroyed it.

Sixty firefighters and 12 trucks battled the fire at Awaba House in Booragul, on the New South Wales north coast, on Tuesday evening.

The fire started about 6pm, with flames reported to have reached as high as five metres into the air.

The blaze lasted several hours before it was finally brought under control and the nearby Lake Macquarie art gallery saved.

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Nobody was on the premises at the time and there were no reports of injury.

NSW Fire and Rescue will begin to investigate the cause of the fire on Wednesday.

Prior to the fire, Awaba House boasted its heritage-style roof, leadlight glass windows and art-deco interior.

The waterside venue serves as an art gallery, cafe and restaurant.

The function room was tipped as the ideal setting for weddings with its glass conservatory and a silk lined ceiling.

Awaba House sits on one of the oldest estates in the region with the house undergoing a series of renovations over its lifetime.

The 1,500 acre property was granted to James Mitchell - a physician and industrialist who owned several copper works and coal mines - between 1822 and 1842. 

Following Mr Mitchell's death the house was passed on to his daughter and son-in-law Margaret and William Quigley, before the property became known as the Quigley Estate.

The estate would exchange numerous hands and the property rebuilt several times over the following decades until the final version of the house was built in 1927. 

Lake Macquarie City Council bought the property in 1993 and the property acted as Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery from 1996 to 2000.