Newcastle on a plate, in a glass, on a hill, by the beach…

by John Curnow on 14 Apr 2014 Not everyone in Newcastle for the 2014 Audi IRC Australian Championship from April 17 to 20 will be there for yacht racing. Some will be shore crew, oft best known as family. So here then a few ideas to keep them entertained and perhaps offer a locale or two for you to book in for dinner or grab a drink.

Newcastle is a working port. It’s pretty easy to spot between the tugs moving hurriedly about, the large clumps of steel that glide past you as you have a coffee on water’s edge, the chopper that buzzes back and forth ferrying the harbour pilots to the next client in the queue and the distinct blasts from ships horns, let alone the squadron of bulk carriers lying at anchor just off shore.

Since its renaissance, say 15 years ago, the changes to Newcastle have been both marked and growing in pace. The waterfront is one of the best ways to observe ‘nova-Newcastle’. Even the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club (NCYC) was not there back then and is yet to be even a decade old. However, it does have great amenities in addition to the big marina. There is ample seating room and a terrific DIY BBQ facility, should you not want to partake of the restaurant proper. You can walk in to town or grab a bike and ride the other way on the promenade that is directly in front of the marina and head Nor’west to Islington Park and its massive trees. If you need a coffee at that point, head to Suspension at the bottom of Beaumont Street. The coffee will well and truly make up for the lack of décor.

Back in town, the regatta’s partners, Crowne Plaza on the harbour waterfront and Chifley serviced apartments in town, both offer exceptional choices. Other accommodation options range from the backpacker hostel in East Newcastle, to hotels right on the beach.

All along the waterfront there is a plethora of dining and entertainment choices and if you like your pubs big and noisy, then the Honeysuckle Hotel will suit you fine. For something a little different in this flourishing hub, try Money Penny. It’s a nice bar with food for the hungry traveller.

It’s this area where you can learn a lot about facts such as Lieutenant John Shortland and Fort Scratchley, whose guns were one of only two sets to see real action against the Japanese in WWII. This and one whole lot more are on offer at the Newcastle Museum and just adjacent to it, the Newcastle Maritime Museum. Ultimately, it all leads to Nobbys Lighthouse, which you can now go and see, whereas before it was strictly off limits.

Just over the railway from the waterfront is the theatre and all of the CBD, which includes cool bars like, The Terrace Bar, and for more culture, the Library and Art Gallery are just behind Civic Park, which is almost at Darby Street.

If coffee is your thing, then check out Bank Corner, just nestled in a small alcove off the main drag, Hunter Street. Even closer to the yacht club in Wickham is Dark Horse. It is and the coffee is sublime. In King Street, up near the Novotel, is Good Brother and this is a true gem.

You can go to the tourist Mecca’s of Darby Street in Cooks Hill and Beaumont Street in Hamilton, but the CBD has all manner of terrific dining and drinking options like Subo, Mason and at the more budget conscious end of the spectrum, Sticky Rice (known colloquially as S-Rice) and We Wok, We Roll. Of the cheap and cheerful pair, the former has great soft-shell crab and the latter prepares delights from all over Asia. Don’t be in a rush at WWWR, but Sue and the team will have your palette loving it all. Just near Sticky Rice in that pocket a little further East is The Grain Store at 64 Scott Street. It’s kind of a Belgian beer café, no need to say more.

Back in Newcastle’s CBD proper, and just near Good Brother is Bocados. A tapas haven, Matt and the team will take care of you hospitably and happily. Hardly ground breaking, but way cool for Newcastle is the conversion of the old bank on the corner of Hunter and Bolton Streets to become the Reserve Wine Bar. Diagonally opposite is Les Passé Temps, which is a French lounge that is owned and staffed by French people and provides for French service in Newcastle.

Across the road is the old GPO and all of this fits with anyone looking to check out old buildings. Newcastle has plenty of them and one of the best is Longworth House. Michael and the team have great drinks and even better nibbles to tempt you, but do book. If it is lunchtime, try One Penny Black in the mall, which supplies great coffee to accompany an awesome lunch menu of terrific and sizable sandwiches.

Joining the likes of Reserve and Longworth at the cool end of the spectrum is firstly Cazador at 148 Hunter Street. This is a share plate heaven from the creators of one of Newcastle’s pioneers, Sprout. Next is Coal and Cedar, which is also on Hunter and a pretty cool bar, with really good and enticing food, cocktails. Kind of an ‘in the know place’, normally you’d have to ask around to get the exact location, but its right next to Civic Station on Hunter Street.

Less than ten minutes in a cab is the Burwood Inn, which does a cracking trade as a gastro-pub. At other end of Merewether is the Beach Hotel. It’s sort of art deco, the owners bought it in the 80s and there is still some of that feel to it, but it does get way popular on the weekend. Merewether Surfhouse over the road and on the beach is more modern and does get the even better view, but the jury is out over their quality/price/service mix. Still, a drink there whilst looking from Merewether to Cooks Hill is very pleasant, as you partake your beverage of choice.

If smashing the credit card is the go, then get a chopper to the Hunter Valley and see Sally and Rob at Bistro Molines for lunch. Quite possibly the best view in the whole Hunter Valley and accompanied by Rob’s French cuisine and Sally’s own personal pick Chardonnay, you’ll be super happy. The Hunter also offers everything from lunch to a spa treatment and the über-health camp, Golden Door, as well as the botanist's heaven at the Hunter Valley Gardens..

Piggs Peake on Hermitage Road personifies the term, ‘boutique winery’. If you’re lucky, Steve will even let you pipette a sample straight form the vat. Cheese and biscuits takes on another, more holistic flavour when you’re at Scarborough. Their upper end wines are delightful and some time in amongst the vines, as you sip away, enjoying local cheeses and grissini, will stay with you long after you’ve driven off.

For the picnic from utopia, stop by the Smelly Cheese Shop on the corner of McDonalds and Broke Roads for cheese, obviously, your picks of antipasto and a baguette. A short drive from there is Audrey Wilkinson. Buy a bottle of wine, head out on to the grass and survey the Hunter Valley from the hill. Depending on the day and time, you could be thinking you’re in charge of your own personal observation post.

Want to go to great beach that is not in town? Head to Dudley and if the pooch needs a run, Redhead is the go. It’s long, sandy, has good waves and dogs go nuts. It’s also very picturesque, too. Much, much closer to town, right before the lighthouse in fact, is Horseshoe Beach. Just remember for the little dogs to be aware of the bigger dogs, much as it is with those large bulk carriers out at sea…

Come to think of it, Newcastle and Merewether ocean baths deserve a big mention, as well. The latter is not open again until the beginning of 2015 following a major restoration, but if the waves and tide are up, the surf crashing into the pump house still makes for great viewing.

There it is. Having been in Newcastle, you’ll need to return home at some point. It’s all as easy as that short steam or sail down the harbour the sailors have been doing each day when they go out racing. The train station is about 400m from the club and a few hours later you’ll be back in Sydney. You’ll only lose Internet connectivity in the small patch just to the South of the Hawkesbury River, when you go through the hills. Taking off from the harbour itself there is also a seaplane that then lands in Rose Bay about 20 minutes later, but you do need to book this as it is no longer a regular service.

Alternatively, get a 20 to 30 minute ride out to Williamtown airport and you can be on a direct flight to the Gold Coast, Brisbane or Melbourne. Finally, the main road out the front of the club links you to the F3 freeway running North and South and between all the signs and the GPS, you’ll be sorted out from there by plenty of signs.

So the answer is yes! You, the shore crew, could well have more fun at Newcastle than the sailors competing in the 2014 Audi IRC Australian Championships. Game on to see who wins…