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1) Surf or Swim at Newcastle’s Many Beaches
Newcastle is very lucky to be located on a geologically perfect piece of coastline, where the rock formations have created some of the best reef breaks along the East coast of NSW. Along with this are some beautiful beaches accommodating the hungry surfer looking to chase some great waves. The waves of Newcastle Beach and Merewether helped to shape the career of four time world surfing champion Mark Richards!
Nobbys Beach – A Man Made Beauty!
Nobbys Beach is actually a product of the mining/shipping industry of early Newcastle. Before the break wall at Nobbys Beach was built, the headland upon where the lighthouse resides was actually an island (known by the local Aboriginal Awabakal people as “Whibayganba”)! After 170 years of coastal sand movement the sand and vegetation has built up to form Nobbys Beach.
Newcastle Beach
With excellent swimming and patrolled during the Summer months, Newcastle Beach is a highly popular spot to cool off at or get a late afternoon wave in after work. As with most of the Newy beaches, this also faces South, making it a protected option from the NE’sters in Summer.
Bar Beach to Merewether
South of Newcastle Beach is a huge stretch of sand that incorporates Bar Beach, Dixon Park Beach and Merewether Beach. You’re bound to score a good wave anywhere along this stretch, with sandbars and small rocky sections scattered all along.
At the Southern end of this stretch you will end up at the Merewether Baths, which are actually the largest ocean baths in the Southern Hemisphere! Don’t expect to have this spot to yourself at any time of day or week, as it’s highly popular with locals and visitors. Grab a coffee from the nearby cafes and restaurants or discover the many interesting rock pools and formations surrounding the baths.
2) Explore the Wonders at Newcastle Museum
Newcastle Museum aims to educate and amaze, with an awesome range of exhibitions to explore your way through. We’ve been here a few times ourselves and it really is fascinating. Even the Museum buildings themselves are unique pieces of architecture. Built in the late 1800’s, these old railway workshop buildings housed the locomotives and rolling stock that would be dismantled and sent off for repair, where they were later returned and reassembled here.
Come in and see the exhibition on coal mining and the era of BHP’s steel production, learn about early Aboriginal life around Newcastle or check out the collection of significant local treasures, preserved and maintained all within the Museum.
There are always new things to see, do and learn at Newcastle Museum!
3) Historical Tours Around Newcastle
Newcastle itself is steeped in history and is Australia’s second oldest city. You can take a tour through the vast tunnels around Fort Scratchley and learn about the history of the area. The guided tours are generously provided by volunteers from the Fort Scratchley Historical Society and last for around an hour.
Another fascinating tour to join is one conducted by Newcastle Afoot. These guys will show you the beautiful architecture of our marvelous city, whilst letting you in on the secret areas of the city that some locals don’t even know are there! Many people are surprised to learn that Hunter Street Mall used to be a couple of metres lower than it is now, or that there is a secret swimming pool under Civic Arcade! Apparently the guys who bought the pools just built over the top of them.
If you don’t feel like walking, you can also go on a city tour with Newcastle’s Famous Tram. While taking in the local sights in a genuine replica of the Newcastle tram, you can hear all about the local history of our great city.
4) Stockton Dunes – Worimi Conservation Lands
If you are keen to experience the largest moving coastal dunes in the southern hemisphere, there are loads of ways to see them.
If you want to take a somewhat relaxed, leisurely approach, consider a 4WD tour either in a specially designed vehicle or bring your own 4WD for a tag-along tour, with a bit of fun thrown in by way of sand-boarding down a few dunes. Or if you are a real adventure junkie, how about jumping on a quad bike to feel the wind in your hair and the sand in your teeth (jk, helmet at all times people).
5) Hunter Valley Wine Tours
To explore the fantastic wine region that is the Pokolbin and surrounding areas you can take a tour in anything, from a replica tram to a luxury limousine.
The Hunter Valley Wine Region is Australia’s oldest wine region and is home to some famous brands such as Tyrell’s, Brokenwood and McGuigan Wines. The region is also home to Australia’s oldest surviving vineyard and also the site of Australia’s first commercial Shiraz plantings.
The variety of amazing wines and food, like cheeses and chocolate is mind-boggling, and you really can’t go wrong with whatever winery or boutique factory or shop you choose. To really experience this region properly you will need to get someone else to drive, as there are just too many delicious wines you will want to try along the way. Consider booking a wine tour with one of the local companies listed on the wine country tourism website.
6) Watagans Day Trips/Camping
The Watagans National Park can be a great way to fill in a day or bring your tent or camper trailer and make a weekend of it! There are a number of excellent walks though the rainforest or some pretty awesome pine forest areas. A great place for a picnic and a short walk through mossy rainforest is the Boarding House Dam picnic area, which has the beautiful Moss Wall Walk, where you can explore the moss covered surroundings and perhaps meet a troll along the way… hey, we’re just saying it COULD happen 🙂
You can also experience some amazing vistas of the surrounding areas from one of the many breath taking lookouts along the way. Monkey Face Lookout will provide you a picturesque view of the Martinsville Valley, while the Narrow Place Lookout is just as, if not more spectacular and looks out over Cessnock, Kurri Kurri and beyond.
Be sure to check out the National Parks website first though as they post safety alerts, such as erosion of the road making it unsuitable for 2WD vehicles and, due to the lack of mobile reception, you do NOT want to get stuck up there with no way to call out.
If you want to give back to nature, you can also volunteer with National Parks to get rid of weeds like Lantana in the Watagans Forest. You will not only help beautify the park, but also help protect the habitats of local fauna, and will be provided all the tools you need as well as training.
7) A Rainforest Within a City
An idyllic place that’s a must see for any visitors to the area (and locals if you haven’t been) is Glenrock State Conservation Area, a stunning 500 hectare parcel of protected rainforest that makes you feel like you’re km’s away from the nearest city! Throughout the park are many waterfalls, rainforest walks and mountain biking trails to check out. It reminds us of the animated film “Fern Gully” when venturing through here!
If you’re into mountain biking there are lots of trails of different skill levels to tackle, or for a more slow paced experience there are the Bombala, Leggy Point and Yuelarbah walking trails that provide some beautiful scenic views out to the ocean. We recommend the Yuelarbah trail, which takes you past some beautiful waterfalls, past a stunning lookout with ocean views and through various sections of semi-tropical and littoral rainforest, emerging on the beach at Glenrock Lagoon.
8) The Old and Abandoned Railways of Newcastle
The more we read about it the more we’ve discovered how much of a vast history in rail Newcastle has. From the very first railway tunnels ever built in Australia, or the old passenger line that ran from Fassifern to Toronto.
Some people are also amazed to discover that railway lines used to travel from Nobbys Breakwall to a suburb further south and merge with a number of other lines, hence why this suburb is called “The Junction”! Some old rail lines were even dug up during the light rail roadworks.
Toronto also boasts a hidden line amongst the scrub, with a line from Fassifern to Toronto built in the late 1800’s. Unfortunately, the line to Toronto was closed in 1990 and nowadays you can walk past the old station along the water and check out the old signal boxes and platform. A donation to the Lake Mac Historical Society wouldn’t go astray as they are a volunteer organisation that maintains the station and grounds!
If you like old rail tunnels, then check out the Fernleigh Track. It spans a 15.5km stretch along the old Belmont Rail Line and you can travel through a well lit, 181m tunnel that goes under the Pacific Highway.
9) Tree Tops Adventure Park
If you haven’t heard of TreeTops yet, you’re in for a treat!
Basically like a big kids playground, TreeTops is awesome (put simply)! It’ll put your mental and physical abilities to the test as you climb, scramble and even fly through the tree tops on various different self-guided rope courses. We’ve been a few times now and it never gets boring! All training and safety equipment is provided to you on the day, so you don’t need to be an expert tree climber to experience this; just bring yourself and preferably leave your fear of heights at home!
We would highly recommend this for a team building exercise for your business, or just a great day out with the family where you get right up close with the iconic Australian bush.
10) Scenic Flights
Have you ever wanted to experience a birds-eye view from high above the Hunter region? Well now you can take in the stunning views of the Hunter and Newcastle coastlines with a selection of flights from Hunter Valley Scenic Flights! They have a couple of different flights available, ranging from a Hunter Valley Wine Country flight, scenic coastal flight over Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, or how about an aerial view over Port Stephens?!
Aerial flights over the Newcastle region are brought to you by Manning River Aero Club, in partnership with Phil Unicomb Aviation Pty Ltd. Check out their website and book your memorable flight!
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