NEWCASTLE - NEW SOUTH WALES - 2300
Population: 279,000
Height above sea level: 30m
Latitude: -33.0000
Longitude: 151.4500
Location:  165km north of Sydney
Highway: Pacific Hwy (1) 
Nearest Major Town: Sydney 150 S.
Nearest Airport: Sydney
Touring Area: Hunter Valley and Coast

Queens Wharf - Newcastle


Capital of the Hunter Valley region. Began as a coalmining and penal settlement. The first export from Australia was coal from Newcastle to Bengal in 1799. The harbour is the largest export harbour in the Commonwealth. Visit Fort Scratchley, built in 1822 to repel an anticipated Russian invasion along with many others around the eastern seaboard. The Newcastle Regional Museum in Hunter St is the largest regional museum in Australia. There are several beaches nearby and the wineries of the Hunter Valley are superb.

Newcastle is New South Wales second largest city and the sixth largest in Australia. Originally settled as Coal River by Governor King as a mining venture after Lieutenant John Shortland had seen a rich seam of coal while pursuing escaped convicts nearby in 1791. The settlement was abandoned in 1802 but resumed 2 years later under Lieutenant Charles Menzies with the new name of Newcastle.
These early days saw a penal settlement with convicts working as woodcutters, lime-burners and miners and it was not until 1831 the prisoners were moved to nearby Port Macquarie and the town developed as a mining centre producing coal and steel.
Although industrial in its beginnings, Newcastle today is a thriving city with everything to offer the visitor. Located at the mouth of the Hunter River on the southern shore of Port Hunter, it abounds with parklands, plazas, public promenades and heritage buildings. Its regional Art Gallery and Museum are among the country's finest, and its proximity to numerous beaches, national parks, the wineries of the Hunter Valley and the Pacific Ocean make it a perfect holiday destination.

PLACES OF INTEREST:
  • Cooks Hill Galleries: 67 Bull St. (02) 4926 3899
  • Fighter World RAAF Base: Williamtown (02) 4965 1717
  • Fort Scratchley: Nobbys Rd. (02) 4929 2588
  • Hunter Region Botanic Gardens: Pacific Hwy. (02) 4987 1655
  • Newcastle Region Art Gallery: Laman St. (02) 4929 3263
  • Newcastle Regional Museum: 787 Hunter St. (02) 4962 2001
  • Shortland Wetlands: Sandgate Rd. (02) 4951 6466
    ACCOMMODATION & SERVICES:

    Category: 


    INFORMATION CENTRE:
    Tourism Newcastle.
    92 Scott St. Newcastle NSW 2300.
    Ph: 02 4929 9299

    HOW TO GET THERE:
    By road along the Pacific Highway or Freeway north from Sydney
  • Coach and rail- daily Services
  • Domestic airport |


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    © Copyright Peter W. Wilkins