Established in 1804, Newcastle is Australia’s second oldest city. Sat at the mouth of the Hunter River, it’s had a long and involved history. Following European settlement, it’s been a penal station, a coal town and a steel city. To learn more, pay a visit to the recently revamped Newcastle Museum (Workshop Way, Newcastle. http://newcastlemuseum.com.au). Situated in three heritage railway workshop buildings, right by Newcastle Harbor, the museum is home to special exhibitions as well as three permanent attractions: Supernova, a hands-on science center for kids; A Newcastle Story, which traces the city’s history back to its Awabakal (local Aboriginal) origins; and Fire & Earth, which deals specifically with Newcastle’s coal and steel heritage.

 

Elsewhere, Newcastle Art Gallery (1 Laman St, Newcastle. www.nag.org.au), home to the second largest collection of art in New South Wales, offers a glimpse at the past through an extensive range of indigenous bark paintings alongside, 20th century and contemporary Australian art. Just finished is an exhibition entitled Whitely on Water, a collection of famous artist Brett Whitely’s iconic interpretations of Australian life by the sea.

 

For something a little subversive, there’s This Is Not Art (octapod.org/tina), an annual new media and arts even held over the October long weekend that packs together several independent festivals covering writing, music and performance art that’s not typically represented at major national festivals. Named after some iconic graffiti that once adorned Newcastle’s tallest building, the festival is a fitting symbol of Newcastle’s enduring outsider status.

Newcastle is said to be home to the most artists per capita in Australia, and in recent years it’s welcomed a slew of serious cafes (One Penny Black, Good Brother, Suspension) and pop-up galleries and shops. But a few short years ago Newcastle’s downtown was akin to a ghost town, lined with abandoned and boarded up old buildings. Since 2009, though, a process of cultural regeneration has taken place led by Renew Newcastle (http://renewnewcastle.org), a not-for-profit company that deals with property owners to find short and mid-term uses for vacant and disused buildings in the city’s CBD. Championing creative uses of empty space, the project has seen the empty storefronts of Hunter Street Mall put into the hands of artists, designers and budding entrepreneurs, who’ve transformed them into galleries, boutiques, bars and shops. For starters there’s the Emporium (185 Hunter St. Mall, Newcastle), once the site of the city’s biggest department store, but now a large space devoted to mixed media art, interactive design, handicrafts and curios. Another beneficiary of the project is The Terrace Bar (529 Hunter St, Newcastle), a Melbourne-style boutique beer, wine and cocktail bar, and underground arts and music venue, spread across two floors and a spacious outdoor terrace garden. 

Newcastle is synonymous with beaches. The best way to experience them is with a stroll along Bathers Way, from the dining hub of Honeysuckle around Nobbys Lighthouse and Headland to Glenrock Reserve. This scenic, 5km stretch of coastline packs in some spectacular views of six beaches, as well as reminders of Newcastle’s industrial and convict past. Take a dip in the historic Newcastle Ocean Baths, with its restored art deco façade, or if you’re feeling more adventurous visit the iconic and infamous Bogeyhole, a small ocean baths commissioned by Military Commander James Morisset in 1820 and hacked out of the rocky headland beneath King Edward Park. Do take care, though, lives have been lost here over the years. Other historical must-visits include Fort Scratchley, a 19th Century coastal defense fort, and the Convict Lumber Yard, near the central train station. For surfers, the highlight is undoubtedly Merewether Beach, home to Australia’s biggest annual surfing festival, Surfest, which each year takes place in February. Take in the sweeping ocean views with a cool drink at Merewether Surfhouse (Henderson Pd, Merewether Beach. www.surfhouse.com.au).

 

For a quintessential Newcastle experience, catch the sea breeze with fish and chips from Scotties (36 Scott St, Newcastle East), before strolling down the street to The Grain Store (64 Scott St, Newcastle East. grainstorenewcastle.com.au), a stylishly fitted out craft beer café that showcases some 21 top brews on tap, among them hoppy session beers from local breweries Murray’s and Grainfed. 

For a glimpse of old Newcastle, head to Beaumont Street, Hamilton. Home to the region’s first Italian and Greek immigrants, the street remains the city’s cosmopolitan center—and, naturally, your best bet for finding good grub. Here you’ll find several historic pubs, like The Kent, Northern Star and the Exchange Hotel, as well as hidden gems like Pina Deli (48 Lindsay St, Hamilton), a traditional Italian deli the likes of which are sadly becoming harder and harder to find, and Bistro Tartine (52 Cleary St, Hamilton), French fine dining in a quaint townhouse. Today the street is also home to several serviceable Thai restaurants and even a Thai grocer, if you’re feeling homesick.

 

Darby Street, in Newcastle’s buzzing east end, meanwhile, represents the changing face of the city. The leafy inner-city neighborhoods give way to a hip dining and shopping strip. The street is home to boutiques devoted to locally designed and made clothes like High Tea With Mrs Woo, Blackbird Corner and Guanabana, as well as multi-label fashion and record store Abicus (103 Darby St, www.abicus.com.au), a Newcastle institution that’s been keeping the city’s fashionable set clothed since 2000. 

Newcastle is the springboard for the Hunter Valley, Australia’s oldest wine growing region. Under 50km from Newcastle, the region is today home to some 150 wineries, including world-renowned names like Tyrell and Wyndham. The Hunter Valley is best known for its dry white wines made from Semillon, which you can try with one of the many winery tours and cellar door tasting events held daily. Hunter Valley Wine and Food Month (Jun 1-30) is a particularly good time to visit, while Bimbadgen Estate winery plays host to regular open-air concerts from big names like Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Leonard Cohen. Check in with the Hunter Valley Wine & Tourism Association (www.winecountry.com.au).