A top ten city in Lonely Planet’s ‘Best in Travel 2011′ guide, Newcastle is a city of rich history, quirky culture and amazing scenery. Newcastle has it all; beaches, countryside, bushland and cityscape.
As Australia’s seventh largest city, Newcastle offers all the benefits and amenities of a large city but with all the friendliness of a regional town. With excellent medical facilities; first class educational opportunities and easily accessible transport, there are many reasons why Newcastle is a great place to live.
Famous for its coal, Newcastle has the largest coal exporting harbour in the world.
Useful Facts
Size : 262km2
Population : 157,000
Climate : Newcastle has a borderline oceanic/humid subtropical climate. Summers tend to be warm and winters are generally mild. Rain is heaviest in late autumn and early winter Average temperature range is 18° to 26°C in summer and 8° to 18°C in winter. The average annual rainfall is 1,133mm.
Transport
Road: 161km from Sydney, 783km from Brisbane
Rail: Newcastle is part of the New South Wales City Rail network. There are frequent return services daily to Sydney. CountryLink trains and coach network connect Newcastle via Broadmeadow station to Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and other NSW country centres.
Airport: Newcastle
Local: Newcastle Buses provide the local bus service. State Transit buses are FREE within the inner city zone along Hunter Street from the Catholic Cathedral to Newcastle Railway Station, and as far south as Bull Street on Darby Street. The fare free zone operates between 7:30am and 6:00pm seven days a week. This is a fantastic way to get around the inner city for free without the hassles of driving and parking.
Education
Employment
Newcastle’s largest employers are the Hunter New England Area Health Service and the University of Newcastle, though there are also lots of jobs associated with the mining industry.
Dining
If you have a passion for good food and shopping, then Darby Street is an absolute must with over 20 cafes. There are 14 pubs, and countless restaurants catering to every budget and taste.
Sport
Newcastle has all the sporting facilities you’d expect in a city from gyms, sports grounds, and aquatic centres, to skate parks, golf and cycling, not to mention the spectacular beaches.
Newcastle’s city centre is surrounded by eight beaches. Ride the wave of surfing culture that characterises the city and spend some time splashing about in the water and taking in the city sights from multiple angles and cultures.
Three of Newcastle’s different sandy beaches, are interlinked by one great coastal walk called Bathers Way. Bathers Way highlights Newcastle beaches that have generated some of the World’s best surfers, but also features rugged cliffs and reefs, rock pools, huge salt water ocean baths, heritage sites and park-lands. Information signs along the route highlight some of the natural and cultural features.
Arts & Culture
Newcastle Art Gallery has the second largest collection of art in NSW. Between the regional Gallery and a host of private galleries, you can immerse yourself in art in Newcastle, all day. Newcastle Art Galleries has an impressive range of Indigenous bark paintings, 20th century Australian and Japanese ceramics, and contemporary Australian art.
Aboriginal Culture
The Awabakal and Worimi peoples are acknowledged by Council as the traditional custodians of the land and waters of Newcastle.
Aboriginal people lived a very rich and vibrant existence in and around Muloobinba (Newcastle) and the Coquon (Hunter River). Food was abundant in marine life and bush tucker. Ceremonies and feasting were generally times for sharing of resources and trading of implements with inland clans. Shell middens at Meekarlba (Honeysuckle) and a tool making site at Pillapay Kullaitaran (Glenrock Lagoon) are remnants of those communal gatherings.
