This was my first time exploring Newcastle. The trip started out on a whim – one night I just felt like checking out Newcastle. I thought sunrise sounded fun, which meant leaving at 3am from Sydney. Who doesn’t like a surprise roadtrip! I first went to the jetty at Nobbys Lighthouse, then did the coastal walk along the beaches.

The locals here are so fit and love the outdoors! Everywhere I looked people were jogging and walking their dogs, or going for a swim. I think Newcastle is a good sized city – it’s not too big and not too small. I actually nearly went to university here, and came up for interviews and everything. Anyways – I’ll show you some of the places I went to on the trip now.

The Jetty

This is where I came for sunrise. We spent about an hour walking up to the end. You’ll never guess what I saw … A seal! It was most likely a New Zealand fur seal – unfortunately I don’t have a photo. It was only at the surface for a few seconds before it disappeared into the waves. At the end of the jetty is an interesting structure with yellow panels on it.

Newcastle Memorial Walk

This coastal walk surprised me. It’s an elevated steel structure that runs along the cliffs and beaches of the city. Along the way you’ll find sculptures inscribed with thousands of ANZAC soldiers’ names. Some of the famous beaches along the walk are Merewether and Bar Beach. There are plenty of photos opportunities along the way and if you’re looking for a place to go swimming you can see all your options from the walkway. I parked at Strzelecki lookout.

Nobbys Lighthouse

This is a fully functioning site at Nobbys Island. On Sundays it’s open to the public, but other days you can only walk around the building. It’s actually going to be renovated in the next few years and will look pretty different. For now it has many of the original buildings, aptly named Cottage 1, Cottage 2, and Cottage 3. In the future there will be restaurants and a cafe too. A parking area is is just behind East End Beach.

For the rest of the morning we drove around Newcastle and got out at random places to take photos. Here are some of the things I saw.

Caves Beach

On the way home we stopped at Caves Beach on the central coast. It has a system of sea caves that are accessible at low tide. I highly recommend stopping here on your trip home to Sydney.

I hope you enjoyed my spontaneous road trip too! It was probably not the most logical decision but it was well worth it. I think there are a few more places in Newcastle I’ll have to check out next time, but for now this was a good introduction to the area.