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Newcastle is Australia's sixth largest city, and is located on the
NSW coast 160 km north of Sydney. Originally known as a 'steel
city', it was a major player in the state's steel industry, along
with Wollongong. However it has experienced much change since the
production and transport of steel took on a diminished role in the
life of the city. The NSW Government continues to work towards
bringing the industry back to life here, but in the meantime the
city is well and truly alive.
The city's main shopping area is in the area around the Hunter
Street Mall, which is also quite close to the Newcastle Railway
Station and Coach Terminal. The CBD is very walkable in size and
grade, and sits on a tip of land bounded by the South Pacific Ocean
to the east, and by Port Hunter to the north. A short walk from the
CBD is Queens Wharf, a collection of restaurants, bars, a brewery,
cafes and entertainment - from this vantage point you'll see that
this is both a working harbour and one for leisure. A little further
along from Queens Wharf is the new development the Honeysuckle
precinct - an ongoing project, with hotels, marketplace, public
spaces and more, and for which there are exciting things to be added
in coming years. When finished it will be the city's major
entertainment space.
Those seeking a beach will find six within 5 km of the city centre -
Nobbys, Newcastle, Bar, Dixon Park, Merewether and Stockton. Of
these Stockton is the only one across the harbour from the CBD -
drive there, or catch a ferry from Queens Wharf. A 5 km trail called
Bather's Way follows the coast from Nobbys Headland south to
Glenrock Reserve. Along the way are yellow information signs,
telling of area's indigenous and convict heritage, its culture and
natural history. This path will take you past Fort Scratchley, which
in 1942 had cause to fire upon a Japanese submarine shelling one of
the BHP facilities. The fort also houses the Newcastle Region
Maritime Museum. You'll also pass numerous ocean baths, none more of
interest than Bogey Hole, carved by convicts out of the ocean rocks
in 1819.
On the fringe of the CBD is the suburb of Cooks Hill, its quiet
residential streets lined with Victorian houses and the occasional
art gallery, while the area around Darby Street is the place to go
for dining and entertainment. A good time to visit is in October,
when the Darby Street Fair takes place - actually this festival is a
small part of the Mattara Festival, a long-running local celebration
in early to mid-October, featuring family events, market stalls,
concerts and a grand parade. The neighbouring suburb of The Junction
is also blessed with a variety of places to relax in the company of
good food and drink, as is nearby Hamilton's Beaumont Street.
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