Visitors arriving on cheap flights to Newcastle will discover a cosmopolitan, arty city with heaps of beautiful beaches and a large working harbour. Since Newcastle's discovery by European settlers it has been a penal settlement, pioneer town and industrial base (coal and steel). It's now the second-largest city in New South Wales (after Sydney) and the seventh-largest city in Australia.
The beaches are the drawcard for Novocastrians and visitors. Nobbys, Newcastle, Bar, Dixon Park, Merewether and Stockton are all patrolled and all within 5km of the CBD. Nobbys Beach marks the start of the Bathers Way, a 5km signposted coastal walk that extends to Merewether Beach (site of Surfest, the country's longest running international surfing competition, the beach is gazetted as a National Surfing Reserve) and takes in the historic ocean baths.
There are several historic buildings around Newcastle, such as Christ Church Cathedral, seat of the (Anglican) Bishop of Newcastle, Fort Scratchley, the old Customs House, City Hall, the Longworth Institute (late 19th century) and the University House (late 1930s).
Blackbutt Reserve is just 8km from the CBD. There are 182 hectares of bushland - trails, a bat habitat, boardwalk with kangaroos, wombats, koalas and birds, and a restful picnic area.
Less than an hour's drive inland from Newcastle is the Hunter Valley, the renowned wine-making area. Barrington Tops, a national park situated on the Gloucester Ranges, is less than a two-hour drive from Newcastle.
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Like much of central and northern New South Wales, Newcastle's climate is oceanic/humid subtropical. Summers are warm, daily temperatures range between 28 and 32 degrees, and winters are mild, with temperatures between 14 and 18 degrees. Autumn and early winter gets most of the rain.
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Peak Season:
December to January is the peak season in Newcastle. Other high-season times are April (graduation time at the University of Newcastle), Surfest (April/May), Newcastle Jazz Festival (August), This Is Not Art (arts and media festival - October), Mattara Festival (late September/early October). Whale-watching season starts in June and runs until October. For surfers, the biggest swells are in winter.
Off Season:
The winter months are, in general, low season, however, this is whale-watching and surfing season.
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Car-rental companies operating at the airport include Hertz and Avis. Port Stephens Coaches travel from the airport to Newcastle Railway Station every hour or so - route 130. There are other shuttle bus services and taxis available. A taxi fare to Newcastle costs about $50.
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A fare-free zone operates (seven days a week, 7.30am to 6pm) from the Catholic Cathedral on Hunter Street to Newcastle Railway Station and south to Darby Street. Newcastle Buses & Ferries operates the ferry service from the CBD to Stockton. A car is necessary if you're intending to get around the Hunter Valley.
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- The Hunter Region Botanic Gardens, 30 minutes from Newcastle, cover 140 hectares, much of it natural bushland. The Botanical Collections are arranged into several themed gardens such as Australian plants for the home garden, succulents, plants of the Hunter Region, and Australian arid plants.
- The Hunter Valley Gardens is another popular spot. There are 10 themed gardens including a sunken garden, Chinese garden, and, for the littles, a Story Book Garden with much-loved characters such as Humpty Dumpty and Little Bo Peep. The gardens are in Pokolbin, an hour from Newcastle.
- The Ocean Baths were opened in 1922 and the Merewether Ocean Baths are the largest ocean baths complex in the Southern Hemisphere. Another popular spot with locals is the Bogey Hole at the bottom of King Edward Park. It's an ocean pool, which was carved out of the rock by convicts for the bathing pleasure of Major James Thomas Morisset at the start of the 19th century.
- At the Maritime Museum on Honeysuckle Drive visitors can explore the history of the region(open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm).
- Darby Street is a great shopping street with eclectic boutiques. It's also a fantastic place to grab some lunch. Beaumont Street is also packed with good restaurants. Has an ethnic flavour. Honeysuckle Wharf has become a popular, bustling, site. There are 50 hectares in total, a promenade along the waterfront, parklands, restaurants and live entertainment.
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