A
city proudly built on the hustle and bustle of coal exports and steel making,
famous for its docklands and glorious shipyards, and united by a feverish,
bordering on obsessive passion for its football team. You could just as easily
be talking about Newcastle in England or Newcastle in Australia. They may well be
cities separated by seventeen thousand kilometres and four continents, but they
could have been separated at birth. Another thing they have in common - they are under appreciated by all.In fact, tell any Australian that you're heading to Newcastle on the New South Wales central coast for a break, and they will smirk with derision. Tell them you're actually spending the new year there, and they will laugh in your face. The same thing would happen if you had the conversation in England over a trip to its English cousin. There is just no glamour in having an industrial heritage, regardless of your importance to your county, or the natural beauty of your city. Decades of well documented industrial decline haven't helped, but this is a city that's well and truly bouncing back.
The beach area is probably the best place to stay, with several options right on the ocean's doorstep, and still only a five minute walk from the city centre. We stayed at the Novotel Hotel (http://novotelnewcastlebeach.com.au) a modern and mid range option with large double rooms. A cheaper option is the YHA just over the street housed in a former primary school building, with shared dorms and private rooms, shared kitchen facilities and free surfboards. From either, it's less than one hundred metres to Newcastle Beach.
To make the most of the city in a limited amount of time, it's best to explore it by its four key areas: Newcastle Beach and Nobbies, the historical Riverside redevelopment, central Hunter Street, and finally, the cafes, restaurants and shops of Darby Street.
Newcastle boasts some fantastic beach options including Newcastle Beach, Nobbies beach, and a sheltered bay on the mouth of the Hunter River. Great for surfing, sunbathing or just having a paddle. There's a coastal path that links all of them and also extends along a kilometre long causeway to Nobbies head, which seems to be permanently popular with walkers and joggers. The end of the causeway is a great spot to get close up to the really big ships as they pass the heads. The crown jewel of the whole area has to be the Ocean Baths, with its Art Deco pavilion and enormous pools. The ocean waves crash into the rocks just metres away, and entry is free! Just next door you'll find a sheltered tidal paddling pool for the kids too. You could also try the three hour Bathers Way coastal walk which links Newcastle Beach to Merewether Beach in the south, via parklands, cliff tops and great ocean vistas.
Arguably, the city's industrial heritage should be celebrated and enjoyed - and Newcastle Museum is a great place to start, You can learn all about the mighty steel making days, located in newly restored railway workshops. It's only a short walk to the river to reach the funky new Visitor Centre and the Maritime Museum. Stepping outside the museum immediately brings all that maritime heritage to life. Newcastle is the largest coal exporting harbour in the world, and you get to watch in awe as colossal ships are guided and pushed along by an army of pilot tugs past Nobbies Head, and through the city river banks onto the dock yards. A great way to take all this action in is to take the fifteen minute public Ferry trip over to Stockton. There are great views of the city from over the river, especially the cathedral towering above the city centre.
Hunter Street certainly should be the heart beat of that city centre. Once upon a time it was packed with well known retail stores, a handful of small cafes and local specialty shops, a busy main street filled with cars and shoppers, and all of it anchored by a large department store at one end. I'm guessing that two things changed all this. Firstly the economic recession forced local stores out of business. Secondly the large Westfield shopping centre at Kotara, twenty minutes out of town, enticed most of the national tenants to jump ship. And that included the mighty David Jones which was probably the straw that broke the camel's back, ripping the heart and soul out of the city centre. What you can see there now is really down to one of the most creative urban regeneration stories you will ever come across. The long since closed doorways of David Jones have been opened up to local craft and artisan producers, who offer a colourful assortment of stalls on the ground floor, and are operating rent free. Retailers are slowly being enticed back, and as already mentioned, there is an emerging cafe culture. It's by no means perfect, but it's definitely bouncing back.
For restaurants and nightlife, you need to head to Darby Street, which is so established now that it even has its own website (http://www.darbystreet.com/.) There's a huge choice of international cuisine, and pubs and bars, all within a tight one kilometre stretch. It's definitely the place to be in the evening and only a twenty minute walk from the city centre, or a short five minute journey on the excellent public bus network.
You could easily spend 48 hours enjoying the four areas outlined above at a nice leisurely pace. With a couple of extra days and a hire car or organised tour you could explore the Hunter Valley vineyards or the Port Stephens area!
Newcastle, England this isn't. Australia's best kept secret, it just may well be.
Arguably, the city's industrial heritage should be celebrated and enjoyed - and Newcastle Museum is a great place to start, You can learn all about the mighty steel making days, located in newly restored railway workshops. It's only a short walk to the river to reach the funky new Visitor Centre and the Maritime Museum. Stepping outside the museum immediately brings all that maritime heritage to life. Newcastle is the largest coal exporting harbour in the world, and you get to watch in awe as colossal ships are guided and pushed along by an army of pilot tugs past Nobbies Head, and through the city river banks onto the dock yards. A great way to take all this action in is to take the fifteen minute public Ferry trip over to Stockton. There are great views of the city from over the river, especially the cathedral towering above the city centre.
Hunter Street certainly should be the heart beat of that city centre. Once upon a time it was packed with well known retail stores, a handful of small cafes and local specialty shops, a busy main street filled with cars and shoppers, and all of it anchored by a large department store at one end. I'm guessing that two things changed all this. Firstly the economic recession forced local stores out of business. Secondly the large Westfield shopping centre at Kotara, twenty minutes out of town, enticed most of the national tenants to jump ship. And that included the mighty David Jones which was probably the straw that broke the camel's back, ripping the heart and soul out of the city centre. What you can see there now is really down to one of the most creative urban regeneration stories you will ever come across. The long since closed doorways of David Jones have been opened up to local craft and artisan producers, who offer a colourful assortment of stalls on the ground floor, and are operating rent free. Retailers are slowly being enticed back, and as already mentioned, there is an emerging cafe culture. It's by no means perfect, but it's definitely bouncing back.
For restaurants and nightlife, you need to head to Darby Street, which is so established now that it even has its own website (http://www.darbystreet.com/.) There's a huge choice of international cuisine, and pubs and bars, all within a tight one kilometre stretch. It's definitely the place to be in the evening and only a twenty minute walk from the city centre, or a short five minute journey on the excellent public bus network.
You could easily spend 48 hours enjoying the four areas outlined above at a nice leisurely pace. With a couple of extra days and a hire car or organised tour you could explore the Hunter Valley vineyards or the Port Stephens area!
Newcastle, England this isn't. Australia's best kept secret, it just may well be.
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