1-3 Nobbys Rd, Newcastle East NSW 2300, Australia +61 2 4929 3066 Website 10am – 4pm Newcastle Campervan Hire

influenceslant (contributor)

Fort Scratchley was the only military installation on the East Coast of Australia that actually fired guns in anger during WWII when a Japanese Submarine surfaced & shot shells at Newcastle. I guess they were after the Port installations or the Shipyards.

But we must travel back to 1882 when Fort Scratchley was opened after fears of Russian attacks. While the guns were installed then, the soldiers barracks and officers residents were built in 1886. I wonder where they were before then & how long it would have taken them to get to the guns if the Russians had actually attacked. Lucky they didn’t eh? lol!

But seriously, I want to get back here & have an indepth look through this historic part of Newcastle.

enginecrass (contributor)

This maritime and military museum is set in a historic 19th-century fort.

Originally, the site was used to house Newcastle’s first Lighthouse, with the Fort only being built after the lighthouse was moved to Nobbys, and the military base chose to build there. The first guns, 80 pounders, were installed in 1882, and a Battery of the Volunteer Artillery were trained to use them.

It wasn’t until 1942 that the Fort saw any action, when a Japanese Submarine fired on Newcastle during World War II. Equipped at this stage with 9.2-inch guns with a range of 17 miles, it took the firing of two salvos from Fort Scratchley to persuade the submarine to break off the engagement. It is estimated that the submarine fired 24 rounds on Newcastle, on the night of June 7th, 1942.
Today Fort Scratchley is a Maritime and Military Museum.

The Maritime Museum is open from 12-4p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.

Latest Images of Fort Scratchley, Newcastle

thinselfies (contributor)

I could see the contestants in the water from where we were working in Noah’s on the Beach.

This photo is one of them doing a cutback so please enlarge it to have a look at his style.\

This year sees Newcastle celebrating the 20th anniversary of “Surfest” & some of the surfers were actually staying at Noah’s which was, as explained above, right across from the action. Not conducive to work I must admit! The master of understatement strikes yet again, but being a surfer from farther back than I care to remember you can’t really blame me can you?

printrecord (contributor)

Surfest began back in 1985 as an initiative of Newcastle City Council, who were looking for a ‘major event’ to host within the city. Well… they got it all right!
In 1985 to mark the events 10th anniversary, organisers renamed the main event in honour of Newcastle’s Mark Richards – calling it the Mark Richards Newcastle City Pro. Whilst not the richest in cash terms, the event embodied the hospitality of Newcastle as a city and competitors came in their throngs…to get a piece of the WQS 4 Star ratings and prizemoney but also to pay tribute to 4 time world champ Mark Richards. Since then, Surfest has grown substantially. For the fourth year in a row, organisers have secured a festival naming rights sponsor in EnergyAustralia. As well, EnergyAustralia also have naming rights to the main event – the EnergyAustralia Open, a four (4) star WQS event attracting over 300 competitors – making it Australia’s largest professional surfing event.

Latest Images of Surfest, Newcastle

 Australia, Nobbys Rd, Newcastle East NSW, Australia +61 2 4974 2000 12am – 11:59pm Newcastle Campervan Hire

facekenyan (contributor)

You know how I rave about Sydney’s beaches. Well I have to admit that Newcastles’ aren’t too bad either.

And there’s a bit of history to be found too. At the northern end of Newcastle Beach straight out from where I was staying & working is one of a series of Ocean Pools. I think this one is called the Bogey Hole, but I’m not too sure. What I do know, as was related to me by Peter Chapman a local & Principal of Mannering Park Public School, is that this was on of a number that were dug out of the rock by convicts well over 150 years ago. The really interesting fact about this one is that apparently they chiselled a map of the world on the bottom of this one, but unfortunately it is more often than not covered by sand washed in by the high tides & waves.

You can also take advantage of the five kilometres of Newcastle Beach’s walking path, called Bathers’ Way to explore more of the beachfront. You can download a map for this wal from the website below.

Latest Images of Beaches, Newcastle

 1 Laman St, Cooks Hill NSW 2300, Australia +61 2 4974 5100 Website 10am – 5pm Newcastle Campervan Hire

fraysubstr (contributor)

There I was, ogling the latest exhibition at Newcastle Gallery and I thought, “I haven’t put this on VT yet!”. So I’m now correcting that error.
The two storey gallery in Laman Street, Cooks Hill always seems to have a very eclectic mix of works. I just happened to be viewing 3 of Rodin’s sculptures when I realised I hadn’t seen that many in one room ever.
The great photographic exhibition and “Coral Garden” that were there at last visit exceeded Rodin’s works in my opinion, but one thing you can always rely upon is that one of the great Australian painters will be on show. For instance, Lloyd Rees, Russell Drysdale, Sidney Nolan, William Dobell, Arthur Boyd, Rupert Bunny, Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton, Conrad Merton were all on show, along with one of my all time favourite, Albert Tuckers “Explorers fording river”.
This is not a huge gallery, but a very eclectic one and, if you are artistically inclined, there will be something there to interest you.
In my general pages is the story of Bill Dobell, a famous local artist who was influenced by many and, in turn, influenced many himself.
His style, as evidenced in “The Strapper”, didn’t appeal to all and, when one of his works was awarded Australia’s highest award, the Archibald prize for portraiture, it was taken to court and disputed that it wasn’t a portrait but a caricature. Luckily for Bill, and I suspect, art in general, the award stood.

Latest Images of Newcastle Art Gallery, Newcastle

 Reserve Rd, Newcastle NSW 2300, Australia +61 2 4974 2807 Website 12am – 11:59pm Newcastle Campervan Hire

youadara (contributor)

Right smack in the middle of the city there is a park. Actually there are several parks. One that has views to die for and wonderful landscaping is King Edward Park.
It overlooks the Pacific Ocean just south of Newcastle Beach and is dotted with tall pines and barbecue and picnic areas.
It’s no surprise therefore to find that many people like to spend Saturday and Sunday afternoons here and many wedding parties choose to use this as a spot for their photograph session, particlularly around the rotunda (pic 3) which forms a lovely frame for many a shot.
There’s a steep natural bowl in the middle of the park and it features the Sunken Garden, always a lovely spectacle in spring. Pics 1,2,4,5 show you what it looks like in December.
All in all, a splendid place for a walk or just relaxing.

snoutbelgian (contributor)

King Edward Park [1863], is a nice park to visit, and a added plus are the great views to the Ocean and Fort Scratchley. The lawned park has a sunken garden & Victorian rotunda.
The remains of the Shepherds Hill Battery and Gunner’s Cottage which were in regular use from 1890 to World War II are located here.

The one complaint we had, was it was so popular it was hard to get a car park, just lucky that one car pulled out as we were driving around again!

Latest Images of King Edward Park, Newcastle

 2100 Pacific Hwy, Heatherbrae NSW 2324, Australia +61 2 4987 1655 Website 9am – 4pm Newcastle Campervan Hire

gabbromum (contributor)

The Hunter Botanic gardens are not to be confused with the Hunter Valley gardens, they are two different gardens located in different places.

We didn’t know this one existed until we saw sign on the Pacific Highway, of course, this meant a visit!

Heading to the Visitor’s centre 1st, we found leaflets on the Gardens, plus souvenirs and a Cafe serving Devonshire morning teas, yummy! They also have lite meals and refreshments here.

The gardens cover quite an area, so be prepared for some walking, as there is plenty to see. There are lots of the Australian natives, like the Grevillea, Banksia, Acacia gardens just to name a few. Most of the plants here are Australian flora.
There are so many themed gardens, the Protea garden [south african plants] was one of my favorites, and the Succulent garden would have to be one of the best I have ever seen, so many different types of cacti here! They also have an area with the plants that grow in the region. Rainforest, Wetland, a really nice place for a stroll!

If you have the time, there is a large expanse of natural bushland with several walking tracks up to 6km in length providing an opportunity to see local plants and wildlife including numerous birds, goannas, possums, wallabies and koalas.
The bushland called the Gundabooka Trail is used to indicate the plants which were important to the local Kooris [aborigines] and were used for food, medicine and other purposes.

The Gardens and Visitors Centre, and Gardens Shop and the Kookaburra Cafe are open daily, from 9.00am to 4.00pm

Admission to the Gardens is FREE for individuals.

The Gardens has a boom gate controlled carpark for visitors. A parking charge of $4.00 applies for cars.
Check the website for different events that are held throughout the year at the gardens.

Lovely gardens well worth visiting, especially in Spring/Summer when the shrubs and Trees are flowering

Latest Images of Hunter Region Botanic Gardens, Newcastle

 2090 Broke Rd, Pokolbin NSW 2325, Australia +61 2 4990 0900 Website 10am – 4pm Newcastle Campervan Hire

confitfatso (contributor)

The Hunter Valley has some of the finest Australian Wines. You can do a day trip or you can stay a few days to take in all the sights.

A few helpful links for the Hunter Valley are:
http://www.winecountry.com.au/
www.huntervineyardtours.com.au

Latest Images of Australian Wines, Newcastle

 Carnley Ave, Kotara NSW 2289, Australia +61 2 4904 3344 Website 7am – 7pm Newcastle Campervan Hire

linkageionic (contributor)

Some Facts on the Bush Stone Curlew.
Also called the bush thick knee or Willaroo.
Scientific name is Burhinus grallarius.
The bird is now one of Australia’s Endangered Birds.
Its height is around 60cm. Bigger than a lapwing, smaller than an ibis.
It makes a distinctive wailing “weer-lo” call, mainly at night.
It eats large insects, spiders, snails, small reptiles, small mammals, frogs, small fruits and seeds by poking around amongst the leaf litter and under logs.
Generally reluctant to fly and spends most of its time on the ground.
Lives up to 30 years and generally remains in the same territory with its mate.
A breeding pair of birds will spend most of their time within a territory of about 25ha.
Lay two eggs at a time, in a simple scrape in the ground.
Chicks often killed by foxes, dogs and cats.
When birds aren’t breeding they will forage over a larger area of several hundred hectares.
Lives in lowland, grassy woodland areas and riparian forests with few or no shrubs.
These days they are mostly found on private land and, in particular, Magnetic Island off Townsville where they have another, not-quite-so-scientific name. Due to their unique call they are labelled the rape bird. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination, then again, perhaps that’s not a good turn of phrase!
There is another fact – you can see them up close and personal at Blackbutt. Thus it was when I took Sarah, a fellow VT-er from Canada, I was surprised as I had never seen one before. Both of us were having a wonderful time, Sarah seeing birds she never knew existed and me seeing feathered creatures I had only heard about. Then again, that’s what you should expect at Blackbutt.

Latest Images of Bush Stone-Curlew, Newcastle

 Carnley Ave, Kotara NSW 2289, Australia +61 2 4904 3344 Website 7am – 7pm Newcastle Campervan Hire

redstonerepeat (contributor)

The colour of it all

Whilst walking though the various aviaries of Blackbutt Reserve you will see a nice selection of parrots. This is a rosella, a fairly common variety and one of the more colourful though there are several that fit into that category, the lorikeets being a notable example and they have a couple of species on display here as well.
For the budding ornithologist this is a great place to kick off your Australian tour.

madlypill (contributor)

Located just outside Newcastle city is this wonderfully maintained Wildlife Reserve . Recently I was invited for a “mini VT meet up” at this location and we were having a small get togeather For Dorrise and friend who was visiting from Cairns ..The meeting?BBQ was set up by ” “Betska” and what a great job she did organising it Thanks also to her man also who did the cooking and looked after us a treat….Also there was “Budgy ” so great to see everyone once again..along with some friends..The day was lovely and warm after so much recent rains..
First impressions of this Reserve are one of an immaculately clean one with many various Shelters with tables and bench seating..alongside are the great stainless steel BBQ’s…The best thing also here is that this is all free …Yes FREE..now you don’t hear that much these days,..

Blackbutt Reserve covers an area of 182 hectares with over ten kilometers of walking tracks ..The Reserve has many types of Australian wildlife, birds coloured parrots Cockatoos, Emus, Wombats ,Kangaroos , Wallabies..There is even a hands on “cuddle a Koala” and contact with various wildlife reptiles daily at 2 PM… This can be done by getting a ticket at the small cottage .There is .a huge walk through aviary and others with safety gates

The BBQ areas are everywhere with clean BBQ’s for the perfect “sausage sizzle..This was such a great day being able to catch up once again with my VT friends the usual travel cahatter..and with a lovely big bread roll and sausages with some fried onions accompanied by a couple of “icy cold this was just such a great location for it.!!
.The walking tracks are well maintained and easily accessible for wheelchairs and strollers.. Photography opportunities are everywhere. Evening spotlight adventures are held Saturday eveningsfrom April through till September .This certainly is a great place to spend the day..

Latest Images of Blackbutt Nature Reserve, Newcastle

 Tanilba Bay, New South Wales, Australia Website Newcastle Campervan Hire

sortbaton (contributor)

Tanilba Bay means ‘place of wild flowers’ [thought to be Flannel flowers] It is located in a quiet spot, surrounded on three sides by the waters of Port Stephens and Tilligerry Creek.

It was quite a surprise to us, when we were greeted by large gates at the entrance to this small community.
The huge stone centenary gates were built in 1931 to commemorate the arrival of the first settler, William Caswell. He came to Tanilba, built Tanilba House in 1831, lived there for about ten years before moving to the Williams River.
The house is open for inspections Wednesdays, weekends, and every day during school and public holidays.
Telephone: 02 4982 4866.
Tanilba house faces Port Stephens across Meridian Park, and has more stone landscaping.

Other points were the street names, ……Navy Nook, Army Avenue and Diggers Drive. were chosen to remind residents & visitors of the heroes of the World War I, Both the gates, ‘The Water Gate’ with the bollards from H.M.A.S Sydney, which was briefly in Port Stephens on its way to being scrapped after World War I, and ‘The Entrance Gates’ near Lemon Tree Passage Road, were built using unemployed workers during the Depression

Small Tanilba Bay was quite a surprise!

Located about 40mins from Newcastle.

Latest Images of Tanilba Bay, Newcastle