Newcastle

Newcastle, about two hours north of Sydney, is a former coal and steel city that has reinvented itself around its beaches and harbour. Nobbys Beach, at the end of a long breakwater, gets consistent surf, and the Nobbys Lighthouse at the tip offers a good vantage point over the coast. Fort Scratchley, perched above the beach, was an active military fort from the 1880s through WWII and now houses a museum with tunnel tours. Darby Street, the main café and shopping strip, is a 15-minute walk from the waterfront. The Merewether Ocean Baths, the largest ocean baths in the Southern Hemisphere, are free and open year-round. If you have extra time, the Hunter Valley wine region is about an hour inland. It is best known for Semillon and Shiraz. Classic fish and chips from the harbour kiosks are hard to beat for a quick lunch, and the city is small enough to cover most of it on foot.