Day 279 - Wednesday 4 October - Checking out Newcastle for real

Day 279

Wednesday –

4 October 2017  - Started my next novel “Girl in Between” by Anna Daniels. I picked this one up at a caravan book exchange and thought it sounded interesting. It is the debut novel for the Aussie author, who had writing for TV shows such as The Project.

Cessnock – Newcastle

 Thank goodness for free Wi-Fi in Foghorn Brewhouse. While Paul is shmoozing at the beer tents I have found a quiet corner to catch up on some stuff. 

Today I was determined to get out and see some stuff other than the inside of a brewery, so after getting out of bed at 8.15 and running through the morning rituals, we left at 9.30am heading for Newcastle once again. Yesterday I had researched some places to head to, so with the GPS locked in, we followed the directions towards town.

There seems to be a hell of a lot of road works going on in and around the main centre that meant we had to ignore some of the given instructions and follow the detour signs. We did however manage to find our intended destination down at the waterfront.

We parked in yet another paid parking bay, they seem to be everywhere and the locals we spoke to are as fond of them as we are. Paul fed in enough money for an hour and we began our wander along Queen wharf to a view tower. It was180 steps to the top and provided a restricted view due to the dirty Perspex that enclosed the viewing area. The early morning fog also played a part in diminishing the view.

We returned to the wharf and back the way we came, passing a shag giving itself a preen. In the distance was Nobby’s Beach and the lighthouse on the head that I wanted to get to. We dodged the road works and the slow moving people to the beachfront where some were brave enough to take to the water.

We rounded the spit, following the path that traced the lower edge of the cliff on which the lighthouse sat. There wasn’t much of a view to the lighthouse from this spot but we could quite clearly hear the foghorn blaring, warning the incoming cargo ships attempting to enter the port.

Paul was keenly aware of the parking time limit and after I had taken my photos, I grabbed the keys and began a jog back to the car, absolutely beat by the time I got there, but glad I had two minutes to spare on the timer. Paul finally arrived a minute over and we drove on around the point, passing below the fort.

We found a stretch of parking that was free, so we parked up again and hauled ourselves out and along the Bathers Way walking trail. This track took us past the ocean baths where we could check out the large pools, waves from the ocean crashing beyond the wall. There were a few attempting to swim, but it was quite obvious it was just a little chilly.

We continued on to the main beach and then up to a park that gave a good view back over the beaches. We returned through the city streets, admiring the old style architecture of the terrace housing. We again encountered plenty of road works that made it difficult for cars to get from one place to another and for pedestrians to cross the road. We did eventually get back to the car in one piece.

Having seen where roads were closed helped us navigate on to our next destination, the ANZAC memorial walk. We were lucky to pick up the last parking spot in the small car park, grabbed our lunch bag and made our way out on to the bridge. The cliff that the bridge follows is a popular spot for hang gliders and we watched one floating around as another one took to the sky. We walked the length of the bridge, stopping at the far end for our lunch. It was a picturesque spot to be eating.

Once done, we returned to the car and drove a little further down the road to check out Bogey Hole Beach and the view back to the ANZAC memorial walk. It was a wonderful afternoon now that the fog had lifted and the sun had warmed things up.

From here we did a quick stop at the obelisk and the viewing area back over the main beach. Here we watched a bird having a bath in a small pot before making our way to the very large Christ Church Cathedral. We parked in the grounds before doing a lap of the building. So many bricks!

Newcastle is a very hilly and steep spot and we coasted down the hill to park outside Foghorn Brewery once again. I left Paul to return for a beer while I walked on through the centre to check out the town hall. The building is undergoing restorations and was shrouded in a shade cloth, but the cloth had been printed to replicate the building so I could still see what it was like.

I then walked through the civic gardens, checking out some of the old buildings, more churches and artwork, along with a fountain water feature.

Satisfied that I had seen everything, I returned to Paul, had a water and then we made the trek back to the Hunter Valley. I wanted to return to Petersen’s to pick up some of their bubbles to bring back for Christmas and then Paul wanted to return to Hunter Beer Co to try their bacon beer. We did both and then made it back to the van for 4pm.

Paul decided to put the car on the trailer ready for tomorrow’s move and when everything was put away, we sat down to enjoy some wine n cheese. We noticed grey hound trainers turning up with their charges, so when we were done, we found a spot to watch the dogs go around the track. We chatted with another traveling couple from Warnambool, swapping our travel stories, but when the wind began to blow we ventured for indoors again.

 Paul cooked up dinner, as I went through the photos and wrote up the blog and then we settled in for a quiet evening of reading.