Tourism
Newcastle and the Hunter region are fast becoming something of a tourist Mecca, attracting holiday makers from not only around Australia but from around the world.
This is hardly surprising considering the array of attractions the region boasts, from pristine beaches and stunning coastal mountain rainforests, to wineries and their chefs-hatted restaurants, historic towns and sparkling aquamarine bays and waterways. Novocastrians and Hunter Valley residents are never short of something to do or places to go on a weekend or during breaks from work or study.
Newcastle is Australia’s second oldest city, established as a convict settlement in the early 1800s, soon after Lieutenant John Shortland discovered a rich seam of coal while chasing some escaped convicts north from Sydney. The city centre thus offers some beautiful historic convict-erected buildings to explore and early colonial architecture to appreciate.
Another feature of the city centre is the promenade along its working harbour, which is peppered with restaurants, cafes and Newcastle’s original microbrew pub, The Brewery. The city itself boasts some of Australia’s most impressive stretches of beach, extending from Nobby’s headland around to Newcastle, Barr and Merewether beaches and south to Redhead beach. Not far south of the city centre, is Australia’s largest coastal lake, Lake Macquarie. This beautiful salt-water lake is the scene for a host of water sports including international sailing competitions.
The lake is a beautiful natural feature, with tourists and locals alike flocking to it in summer, to enjoy a variety of water past-times, such as cruises and fishing as well as long walks around promenades running adjacent to the lake, which have been installed by Lake Macquarie City Council. About 45 minutes drive from the Newcastle CBD is the stunning natural harbour of Port Stephens. It offers a paradise of untouched bays and inlets, aquamarine waterways and marine parks, making it idea for swimming and scuba diving. It gets quite busy in the summer as tourists flock to the area to spend lazy summer days relaxing on the beach at locations like Nelson, Shoal and Fingal bays.
Port Stephens also is a popular centre for big game fishing, sailing, surfboarding and surfing. From May to November it is possible to enjoy whale watching tours and see these magnificent creatures up close as they migrate north along the Australian coast. Dolphins are regular visitors to Port Stephens and it is possible to catch a glimpse of them year round. No tour of Newcastle or the Hunter would be complete without a trip to the wineries of Pokolbin, home to some of the most highly respected – and oldest – commercial and boutique vineyards in the country.
Wine buffs will be spoiled for choice and will be able to indulge in an array of famous Hunter semillon and shiraz. Not far from wine country is the spectacular coastal rainforest of the Barrington Tops, which offer pristine rivers, meandering mountain trails to hike, loads of great places to camp and plenty of opportunities for encounters with the area’s wildlife, which includes lyre birds. Maitland and Morpeth, historic lower Hunter Valley towns, also offer a host of tourism opportunities, from viewing historic colonial architecture to visiting the site of the first Arnotts’ biscuit factory, the birthplace of this iconic Australian brand.
This is hardly surprising considering the array of attractions the region boasts, from pristine beaches and stunning coastal mountain rainforests, to wineries and their chefs-hatted restaurants, historic towns and sparkling aquamarine bays and waterways. Novocastrians and Hunter Valley residents are never short of something to do or places to go on a weekend or during breaks from work or study.
Newcastle is Australia’s second oldest city, established as a convict settlement in the early 1800s, soon after Lieutenant John Shortland discovered a rich seam of coal while chasing some escaped convicts north from Sydney. The city centre thus offers some beautiful historic convict-erected buildings to explore and early colonial architecture to appreciate.
Another feature of the city centre is the promenade along its working harbour, which is peppered with restaurants, cafes and Newcastle’s original microbrew pub, The Brewery. The city itself boasts some of Australia’s most impressive stretches of beach, extending from Nobby’s headland around to Newcastle, Barr and Merewether beaches and south to Redhead beach. Not far south of the city centre, is Australia’s largest coastal lake, Lake Macquarie. This beautiful salt-water lake is the scene for a host of water sports including international sailing competitions.
The lake is a beautiful natural feature, with tourists and locals alike flocking to it in summer, to enjoy a variety of water past-times, such as cruises and fishing as well as long walks around promenades running adjacent to the lake, which have been installed by Lake Macquarie City Council. About 45 minutes drive from the Newcastle CBD is the stunning natural harbour of Port Stephens. It offers a paradise of untouched bays and inlets, aquamarine waterways and marine parks, making it idea for swimming and scuba diving. It gets quite busy in the summer as tourists flock to the area to spend lazy summer days relaxing on the beach at locations like Nelson, Shoal and Fingal bays.
Port Stephens also is a popular centre for big game fishing, sailing, surfboarding and surfing. From May to November it is possible to enjoy whale watching tours and see these magnificent creatures up close as they migrate north along the Australian coast. Dolphins are regular visitors to Port Stephens and it is possible to catch a glimpse of them year round. No tour of Newcastle or the Hunter would be complete without a trip to the wineries of Pokolbin, home to some of the most highly respected – and oldest – commercial and boutique vineyards in the country.
Wine buffs will be spoiled for choice and will be able to indulge in an array of famous Hunter semillon and shiraz. Not far from wine country is the spectacular coastal rainforest of the Barrington Tops, which offer pristine rivers, meandering mountain trails to hike, loads of great places to camp and plenty of opportunities for encounters with the area’s wildlife, which includes lyre birds. Maitland and Morpeth, historic lower Hunter Valley towns, also offer a host of tourism opportunities, from viewing historic colonial architecture to visiting the site of the first Arnotts’ biscuit factory, the birthplace of this iconic Australian brand.
