Lifestyle
Newcastle and Hunter Lifestyle.
Ask Novocastrians or Hunter Valley residents what it is they love most about their city and surrounds, and the majority wouldn’t hesitate to nominate the unique lifestyle the region affords. Living in Newcastle and the Hunter offers what is perhaps the perfect balance between city and country living with the added bonus of being a stone’s throw from some of Australia’s best beaches, its largest inland salt water lake, premium wineries and the breathtaking mountain rainforest of places like the Barrington Tops.
Newcastle, which is 150km north of Sydney, is Australia’s sixth largest city and so has all the attractions of a large metropolitan centre – great schools, a highly respected university including a world-class medical school and excellent teaching hospitals, along with a vibrant and innovative arts scene, sophisticated dining and social life but without the drawbacks of overcrowding, heavy traffic and its associated pollution, dysfunctional public transport, a prohibitive cost of living and the general stress associated with living in a major city, like Sydney or Melbourne.
If you have ever fantasised about being ten minutes away from your workplace, then Newcastle would suit you perfectly. For most residents of the city and its suburbs, a 25 to 30 minute car journey to their workplaces is about the most they have to contemplate – and that is during peak hour. For the majority of Newcastle locals, a 10 to 15 minute daily commute is about as much as they have to endure. Perhaps you like the idea of walking or riding your bike to work. If so, then Newcastle offers great potential for this lifestyle plus as well. Maybe you fancy a dip in the ocean or a quick surf at lunchtime? Both are not only possible but an important part of many Novocastrians’ lunchtime routines.
Newcastle and the Hunter also offer good public transport – regular bus services to most suburbs along with reliable suburban train services. Newcastle locals and Hunter residents generally are renowned for their friendliness, openness and laid back approach to life. People know and actually care about their neighbours, will happily greet each other on the street and are warm and welcoming to any strangers in their midst. This sense of community and belonging is something that makes many Novocastrians return to their birthplace to settle when they want to raise their children, even after years of conducting high powered careers overseas or in Sydney or Melbourne. Housing is much more affordable than in major cities and rents in the area can start from as little as $120 a week.
The education system in Newcastle is impressive and includes an array of excellent public and private schools, which perform outstandingly in both academic and sporting arenas. Merewether High School is fast establishing a reputation as among the best selective schools in the State, on par with many in Sydney. Private schools like Newcastle Grammar and St Francis Xavier College also perform academically well in external examinations and there are other specialist public high schools catering for the artistically gifted and those with major sporting ability.
Newcastle also boasts all the creature comforts of a thriving metropolis – it has fine dining and an excellent array of restaurants; nightclubs, a devoted café culture, beautiful parks, gardens and nature reserves, art galleries and world-class shopping centres along with boutique precincts like The Junction. Newcastle and its surrounds offer a perfect work-life balance, amid beautiful scenery, pristine beaches and waterways in a friendly, laid-back community – in many ways a lifestyle second to none.
Ask Novocastrians or Hunter Valley residents what it is they love most about their city and surrounds, and the majority wouldn’t hesitate to nominate the unique lifestyle the region affords. Living in Newcastle and the Hunter offers what is perhaps the perfect balance between city and country living with the added bonus of being a stone’s throw from some of Australia’s best beaches, its largest inland salt water lake, premium wineries and the breathtaking mountain rainforest of places like the Barrington Tops.
Newcastle, which is 150km north of Sydney, is Australia’s sixth largest city and so has all the attractions of a large metropolitan centre – great schools, a highly respected university including a world-class medical school and excellent teaching hospitals, along with a vibrant and innovative arts scene, sophisticated dining and social life but without the drawbacks of overcrowding, heavy traffic and its associated pollution, dysfunctional public transport, a prohibitive cost of living and the general stress associated with living in a major city, like Sydney or Melbourne.
If you have ever fantasised about being ten minutes away from your workplace, then Newcastle would suit you perfectly. For most residents of the city and its suburbs, a 25 to 30 minute car journey to their workplaces is about the most they have to contemplate – and that is during peak hour. For the majority of Newcastle locals, a 10 to 15 minute daily commute is about as much as they have to endure. Perhaps you like the idea of walking or riding your bike to work. If so, then Newcastle offers great potential for this lifestyle plus as well. Maybe you fancy a dip in the ocean or a quick surf at lunchtime? Both are not only possible but an important part of many Novocastrians’ lunchtime routines.
Newcastle and the Hunter also offer good public transport – regular bus services to most suburbs along with reliable suburban train services. Newcastle locals and Hunter residents generally are renowned for their friendliness, openness and laid back approach to life. People know and actually care about their neighbours, will happily greet each other on the street and are warm and welcoming to any strangers in their midst. This sense of community and belonging is something that makes many Novocastrians return to their birthplace to settle when they want to raise their children, even after years of conducting high powered careers overseas or in Sydney or Melbourne. Housing is much more affordable than in major cities and rents in the area can start from as little as $120 a week.
The education system in Newcastle is impressive and includes an array of excellent public and private schools, which perform outstandingly in both academic and sporting arenas. Merewether High School is fast establishing a reputation as among the best selective schools in the State, on par with many in Sydney. Private schools like Newcastle Grammar and St Francis Xavier College also perform academically well in external examinations and there are other specialist public high schools catering for the artistically gifted and those with major sporting ability.
Newcastle also boasts all the creature comforts of a thriving metropolis – it has fine dining and an excellent array of restaurants; nightclubs, a devoted café culture, beautiful parks, gardens and nature reserves, art galleries and world-class shopping centres along with boutique precincts like The Junction. Newcastle and its surrounds offer a perfect work-life balance, amid beautiful scenery, pristine beaches and waterways in a friendly, laid-back community – in many ways a lifestyle second to none.
