The travel book guide Lonely Planet rated my home town Newcastle Australia in its top ten cities in the world in their 2011 edition, I might be biased but I can’t help but agree with their assessment. Let me introduce you with an insight into what it is like.
The 3 best things to do in Newcastle
Newcastle lies on the mid coast of New South Wales Australia about two hours’ drive north of Sydney. We are sports mad, but none more so than for the sport of surfing. Four times world champion surfer Mark Richards still surfs one of my favourite surf breaks at Merewether, a break which is registered as one of Australia’s national surfing reserves. But to single out one break is to ignore Newcastle beach or a dozen others in the city. If you’re not a surfer it is still one of the cool things to do to hang out at the Beaches Hotel at Merewether on a Sunday afternoon overlooking the beach with a cold beer in hand while a band plays some tunes and the sun goes down.
I have two favourite food destinations in Darby street or Beaumont street where you can stroll along and select from one of a number of cafes for a coffee or a meal, I love my food and would really urge any visitor to visit either precinct, a quick tip, the three monkeys cafe in Darby Street is great value and top quality.
I think one of the real treats is to travel to the nearby Hunter Valley wineries for a BBQ and a day’s wine tasting. The Hunters iconic variety is Semillon and is acknowledged as being world class. I usually go visit maybe two winery’s like Drayton’s and Tyrell’s for tasting, then go to Hunter Valley Gardens who have a large number of outdoor BBQ’s for lunch and a relaxing afternoon. Additionally wineries like Hopes Estate are now holding outdoor concerts, only last year they played host to the likes of Fleetwood Mac and Elton John.
How much do things cost?
Being a non-capitol city, inflation of wages has not occurred and compared to say Sydney, Newcastle is comparatively cheap. I was able to pay under three hundred thousand dollars for my home overlooking Lake Macquarie, which is a lake on the southern outskirts of Newcastle and is the largest salt water lake in the southern hemisphere.
My favourite restaurant/nightclub/place
My favourite restaurant is Scratchleys restaurant. It is literally built out over the water of Newcastle Harbour. By day for lunch you can watch the working harbour with its constant hum of shipping activity. I have been there and huge coal carrier ships are brought into the harbour by their attendant tugs, quite a spectacle given this is only around 200 metres from your table. At night while quieter the lights playing on the water create a wonderful atmosphere.
The iconic nightclub is called Fanny’s, I can see you smile but this refurbished old home has been the place in Newcastle for about 30 years and it still rocks.
My favourite place in Newcastle is a place and activity. Walking along the harbour esplanade watching the harbour activity with an ice-cream in a waffle cone purchased from Queens Wharf just can’t be beat.
