Beautiful Newcastle and Exploring National Parks

Newcastle

The second most populated area in New South Wales Australia is the Newcastle area. It includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas.

To get an idea of how great this area is the best thing to do is to head for Fort Scratchley Historic Site.

From here you can get some truly panoramic views over the Pacific Ocean north to Nobby’s Lighthouse, Headland, and the Harbor, and south across Newcastle Beach and Ocean Baths. 

The Newcastle city skyline is dominated by the Anglican Cathedral dating from 1892. The cathedral is full of treasures such as a gold chalice and a remembrance book set that is adorned with precious stones, made from jewelry donated by locals who lost their loved ones in WW I. A self-guided tour brochure offers a look at such special highlights as the stained-glass window by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris.

For fantastic views of the city and the surrounding waters climb Queens Wharf Tower.

Located on the waterfront this obelisk hovers over King Edward Park. Across the river accessible by ferry is Stockton, a settlement with impressive views back towards Newcastle and shipwrecks exposed in its waters. 

The Newcastle City Hall opened in 1929. It has an Old World kind of charm and impressive architecture, including sandstone walls and pillars, marble staircases, a clock tower, and an amazing ballroom. Today it is also used for social gatherings. There is a concert hall, stage, and upper gallery which is used by choirs and orchestras and for presenting plays and musicals.

Visitors to Maitland Gaol can choose to take a self-guided audio tour or a guided tour as part of a group. This heritage-listed goal features unique spaces tucked away within its great walls and people can hold their next function or event here including conferences, trade shows, or corporate dinners.

If you are a believer in the paranormal you might like to join a Ghost Tour. In the East End, many spooky things remind one of the dark history of Newcastle. Supposedly one can hear the clanks and groans of convicts who once worked in leg irons in the underground mine shafts in the settlement. You will hear fascinating stories and might bump into a ghost or two. Paranormal investigators retrace the steps of the earliest pioneer settlers. There are stops at well-known haunted sites that have a history of ghostly appearances and experiences. 

If you want to hear stories of wrecks and rescues, the port, and its city then head for The Newcastle Maritime Center. The restored wharf building has a collection that preserves the record of two hundred years of local maritime activity in Newcastle and the Hunter River. This is also a great location from which to experience and appreciate the workings of a modern port. 



Blackbutt Reserve offers nature trails, wildlife exhibits, children’s playgrounds, and recreational facilities. It’s a great place to have a picnic or to get up close to nature. There are eucalypt forests and a restored rainforest that provides habitats for rare and vulnerable species. The wildlife exhibits let you view animals close-up. 

The reserve offers many recreational opportunities among them barbecues, picnic facilities, photography, bird watching, and peaceful places just to relax. There are over 10 kilometers of tracks for walkers and joggers and range from short to long and hilly. 

The Blackbutt Kiosk is a shop that offers information on the reserve, gifts, souvenirs, cold drinks, tea and coffee, and confectionary items. 

Other highlights include public koala talks, a reptile show, and critter encounters for onsite parties and events. 

National Parks

Lismore is the commercial center of the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales or NSW. This region finds itself between the rainforest and the sea. It is 45 km inland from Byron Bay and 100 km south of the Gold Coast. Lismore is still home to the Aboriginal people of the Bundjalung nation. It offers so much to nature lovers with World Heritage reserves and lovely National Parks with plenty of places to camp and picnic. 

Taking up a large wilderness area with rainforest and unusual animals and plants connected to the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana is Border Ranges National Park. Here you can walk in pristine rainforest past gorges and waterfalls.

For fantastic views visit, one of the highlights of the park The Pinnacle Lookout with the lush Tweed Valley spread out more than 100 m below, and take in views over Wollumbin and across toward the ocean and beyond. 

There are walking trails suitable for all fitness levels. You can enjoy the short Palm Valley loop walk through subtropical rainforests or opt for the more difficult Booyong walk that starts from the Sheepstation Creek campgrounds. During your walk, you’re sure to find a lovely spot for a picnic or barbecue lunch. Make sure to have your camera handy as there is lots of nature for pictures. 

For those of you who enjoy taking a holiday on water, there is Bundjalung. This north coast park combines river, beach, and freshwater lagoons. It stretches north from Iluka to Evans Head with the Pacific Ocean making its eastern boundary. Visitors can spend the day canoeing along Evans River or Jerusalem Creek, mountain biking the Macaulays Lead or Serendipity Fire Trail, or walking along Ten Mile Beach. You’ll also find boat launching facilities and places for snorkeling on the shallow reefs and fishing. 

If you would like you can stay more than one day and head for the beachside campgrounds or book a cabin at Woody Head. In the evening you can enjoy a barbecue dinner and gather around a campfire where a local Bundjalung guide tells tales of their culture, values, and connections to the park. 

If you really enjoy getting up close to nature head for Mebbin National Park. This park is a nature conservation area protecting an important part of the Tween landscape. It also serves as a vital habitat link between the World Heritage areas of Wollumbin and Border Ranges National Park. A large part of the park is a dry eucalyptus forest, along with some rainforest and a small section of old-growth forest. 

You can explore the park by following the Byrrill Creek walking track through sub-tropical rainforest and fig trees. If you prefer you can be adventurous and do mountain biking or horseback riding along the trails that twist and turn beneath the tall eucalyptus trees towering overhead. 

As you walk along keep a lookout for some of the park’s rare, threatened species, like large owls, lace monitor lizards, glossy black cockatoos, and red-legged pademelons. You might not get a glimpse of the endangered giant barred frog but you can hear the frogs call on hot summer nights. There are many wonderful places for camping and picnicking at Cutters Camp Campground. It is found in an awesome forested setting with free wood and gas barbecues. 

For walking in lush rainforest you’ll enjoy Nightcap National Park with its ancient rainforests, amazing waterways, and fantastic views. The rainforest is home to the newly discovered nightcap oak and a number of threatened animal species among them Albert’s lyrebird and Fleay’s barred frog. The barred frog likes taking shelter under leaf litter and after rainfall, it makes an ok-okok-ok sound. 

In the park, you can enjoy having a picnic, bushwalk, or overnight camping. There are awesome waterfalls and crystal clear creeks and great views of the 20 million-year-old Wollumbin shield volcano. One of the highlights in this park is Protestors Falls Walk with lovely waterfalls.

World Heritage-listed Wollumbin National Park is an ancient park that dates back to the time when a great deal of Australia was covered by rainforest. 

This area is one of Australia’s biodiversity hotspots with plenty of flora and fauna, among them the rare and endangered Albert’s Lyrebird. 

Here you’ll find a huge, extinct shield-shaped volcano Wollumbin-Mount Warning. It has a dual name because the Aboriginal people called it Wollumbin and Captain Cook named it Mount Warning. It was so named to warn mariners of offshore reefs. The area was shaped by 20 million years of heavy rainfall and is called The Green Cauldron Walk through lush rainforest. 

Under Bundjalung lore, supposedly only chosen people are allowed to climb Wollumbin and as a sign of respect to their ancestors, visitors should choose to not climb it. It rises 1.157 m above sea level. It can be viewed from many different vantage points in the surrounding massive crater, including Cudgen Nature Reserve, Border Ranges National Park, Nightcap National Park, Cape Byron Lighthouse, and various settlements. 

You can explore the Gondwana Rainforest rich with plant, animal, and bird life by taking a short walk on the Lyrebird Track. The winding path takes visitors under towering palms as whip birds, noisy pitta and lyrebirds make their calls. You can have a picnic by Breakfast Creek or at Korrumbyn Picnic Area.