Newcastle is Australia’s second oldest city and is located just a two hour drive north of Sydney. With heritage buildings, top class museums and a stunning coastline it’s a great place to spend time in whilst visiting the Hunter Valley.
Newcastle Beach
Located in the centre of town, Newcastle Beach is very popular both with locals and tourists alike. The beach has a reputation for being one of the best surf locations along the coast. We took a stroll along Bather’s Way to Nobbys Beach taking only around 15 minutes.
From there we had good views of the sweeping bay and of the lighthouse sitting on top of the headland. Nobbys Lighthouse was established in 1854 to guide vessels into the Hunter River and is still in service to this day.
Newcastle Ocean Baths
Retracing our steps back towards the town, we paused to admire the Newcastle Ocean Baths. With its Art Deco pavilion, it is one of the city’s outstanding historic landmarks. The Ocean Baths were constructed and in use before World War One although not formally opened until the 1920s. The baths’ popularity has never waned and are just as popular today as when they first opened.
Newcastle Museum
Located in the historic Honeysuckle Railway workshops next to the tourist information office stands the impressive Newcastle Museum, which is free to visit.
The galleries explore Newcastle past and present alongside a splendid collection of transport vehicles.
Old Newcastle Station
The former Newcastle Railway Station has been transformed into a unique pop-up venue on the city’s waterfront.
The station features a heritage signal box (now a restaurant) and a large outdoor platform complete with period awning and seating.
Ride the Stockton ferry
Take a ferry from Queens Wharf to the suburb of Stockton which sits on a peninsula of the Hunter River. Ferries operate every fifteen minutes (peak time) with the journey taking just five minutes.
Newcastle Memorial Walk
The Newcastle Memorial Walk was opened in 2015 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC landing in Gallipoli. As well as honouring the sacrifices made by Australian soldiers during World War I, this date also marks the commencement of steel making in Newcastle. The ANZAC memorial walk was built using 64 tonnes of stainless steel as a tribute to the city’s steel making heritage.
The Memorial Walk is located above Memorial Drive on Strzelecki Headland (between Bar Beach and King Edward Park). We left our car at the top of the hill and enjoyed a stroll along the elevated walkway which is adorned with steel silhouettes of soldiers, as well as the names of almost 11,000 Hunter Valley men and women who enlisted to serve during the First World War.
Stay
Customs House Hotel
Newcastle has accommodation to suit all budgets with the historic Customs House Hotel being my top pick. Once the home of the Australian Customs offices, the Customs House Hotel is a heritage listed building, designed by James Barnet in 1877. Operating as a Customs House from 1877-1989 the building has housed several Government offices, with many still displayed on the honour boards in the Hotel’s entrance hall. Having survived a roof fire and the 1989 Newcastle earthquake, the building was transformed into a luxury hotel in 1995.
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