Newcastle
Population 138,200
Newcastle is situated on the Hunter River, 171km (106 miles) north of
Sydney, and 827km (514 miles) south of Brisbane.
Climate
Average temperatures: January max 27C (81F) - min 18C (64F); July max 17C
(63F) - min 6C (43F). Average annual rainfall: 1134mm (45 ins), and the
rain falls evenly throughout the year.
Characteristics
Newcastle is the second largest city in New South Wales, and the sixth
largest in Australia. The site was discovered when Lt Shortland was searching
for convict escapees in the late 18th century, and discovered coal, which
together with steel dominated Newcastle to the mid-1960s.
Newcastle is a city with international-style hotels, motels and shopping
centres. It is an ideal base for visiting the holiday areas of Lake Macquarie,
Port Stephens and the Hunter Valley.
The city was hit by a shocking earthquake on December 28, 1989, with the
loss of lives and many buildings. A swift Novocastrian recovery has meant
that few signs of the disaster remain.
How to Get There By Air
The Newcastle Airport is at Wil-liamtown, 23km from the city, and there
are plenty of taxis available for transport to the city centre.
Qantas, 13 1313 have regular flights to Newcastle.
By Bus
Greyhound Pioneer, 13 2030, and McCaffertys, 13 1499, are among the coach
companies that stop at Newcastle.
By Rail
Newcastle is on the Sydney/Murwillumbah line with regular services, and
connections from Murwillumbah to Brisbane and the Gold Coast, 13 2232.
By Road
From Sydney, via the Pacific Highway and the F3 Expressway.
From Brisbane via the Pacific Highway through Tweed Heads and along the
coast, or via the New England Highway through Glen Innes and Armidale.
Visitor Information
The Tourist Information Centre is located at 363 Hunter Street, (02) 4974
2999 or 1800 654 558. Opening hours are 9am-5pm Mon-Fri and 10am-3.30pm
on weekends. The internet references are newtour@hunterlink.net.au or
mail@ncc.nsw.gov.au for email, and www.ncc.nsw.gov.au for
the website.
Accommodation
As with any large city, moderately-priced accommodation places are in the
suburbs, and the Tourist Office has a complete list of what is available.
Here is a selection with prices for a double room per night, which should
be used as a guide only. The telephone area code is 02.
City
Holiday Inn Esplanade Newcastle, Shortland Esplanade, 4929 5576. 72 rooms,
licensed restaurant - $170-260.
Junction Motel, 121 Union Street, 4929 6677. 30 units, licensed restaurant,
pool - $130.
Ridges City Central Hotel, cnr King & Steel Streets, 4926 3777. 122
units, 6 suites, licensed restaurant, swimming pool, gym, spa - $120-160.
Noah's On The Beach, cnr Shortland Esplanade & Zaara Street, 4929 5181.
90 units, 1 suite, licensed restaurant - $140.
Novocastrian Motor Inn, 21 Parnell Place, 4926 3688. 47 units, licensed
restaurant - J140-200.
Newcomen Lodge, 70 Newcomen Street, 4929 7313. 1 room, unlicensed restaurant,
pool - $115.
Suburbs
Apollo International Hotel, 290 Pacific Highway, Charlestown, 4943 6733.
42 units, 8 suites, tennis, swimming pool, barbecue - $140-240.
Hospitality Motor Inn, 418 Maitland Road, Mayfield, 4967 1977. 28 units,
licensed restaurant - $120-130.
Sovereign Motor Inn, 309 Maitland Road, Mayfield, 4968 4405. 34 units,
licensed restaurant, swimming pool - $90-100.
Aloha Motor Inn, 231 Glebe Road, Merewether, 4963 1283. 29 units, barbecue
- $95-105.
Tudor Inn, cnr Tudor & Steel Streets, Hamilton, 4969 2533. 31 units,
unlicensed restaurant - $90-100.
Panorama Motor Inn, 256 Pacific Highway, Charlestown, 4943 3144. 33 units,
licensed restaurant, barbecue, swimming pool - $65-80.
Caravan Parks
Tomago Village Van Park, Pacific Highway & Tomago Road, Tomago, 4964
8066. (No pets allowed) - powered sites $19 for two, cabins $45-70 for
two.
Redhead Beach Holiday Park, 1A Kalaroo Road, 4944 8306. (No pets allowed)
- powered sites $19-25 for two, cabins $45-95 for two, on-site vans $45-55
for two.
Stockton Beach Tourist Park, Pitt Street, Stockton, 4928 1393. (No dogs
allowed) - powered sites $16-20 for two, cabins $35-60 for two.
There is a Youth Hostel in 30 Pacific Street (cnr King Street), 4925 3544.
They have 22 rooms at $24 per person twin share.
Eating Out
Finding somewhere to eat in Newcastle is not a problem. There are the licensed
clubs (Newcastle Workers, Western Suburbs Leagues Club, Tubemakers Recreation
Club, etc) which all offer restaurants, bistros and snack bars. There
are also the hotels and motels, most of which have licensed or BYO restaurants,
and coffee shops and takeaway food outlets. The Tourist Information Office
has a complete list of restaurants, but here are some you might wish
to try.
Hawaiian Sunsets, 171 Darby Street, 4926 1264. International menu, licensed.
Open 6pm-midnight 7 days, closed Public Holidays.
Lans, 146 Darby Street, 4929 1565. Open 5pm-10pm every day except Mondays
and Public Holidays (closed).
Delaney Hotel, 134 Darby Street, 4929 1627. Open 10am-midnight Mon-Sat
and Sunday midday-10pm.
San Marco on the Park, 10 Pacific Street, 4926 3865. Fully licensed, open
12pm-3pm and 6pm-9pm Mon-Sat, closed Sunday.
Harry's on Hunter, 672 Hunter Street, 4926 2165.
Mercury Cafe, Mercury Hotel, 23 Watt Street, 4929 2025.
Queens Wharf Brewery Restaurant, 150 Wharf Road, 4929 6333.
Signatures, Radisson Hotel, cnr King & Steel Streets, 4926 3777.
Thara Tong Thai, 541 Hunter Street, 4929 6722.
Taco Bills Mexican Restaurant, 80 Darby Street, 4929 2971.
Maharaja Indian Restaurant, 653 Hunter Street, 4926 1665.
Elizas, Shortland Esplanade, 4929 5576.
Newcastle Happy Gardens Chinese Restaurant, 133 Scott Street, 4926 2707.
McDonalds are on the corner of King & Steel Streets. KFC is at 227
Hunter Street and Pizza Hut is located at 500 Hunter Street, 13 1166 for
delivery.
Points of Interest
City Hall, in King Street, is the office of Newcastle's Lord Mayor, and
is an impressive sandstone building with a tall clock tower. Opened in
1929, it was completely refurbished in 1970-80, and is now a Convention
Centre.
Civic Park, opposite the City Hall, is a large park that is a favourite
place for Newcastle's business people to relax during the lunchbreak. The
special trees planted at the eastern and western ends are gifts from Newcastle's
Sister City, Ube in Japan.
The Captain Cook Memorial Fountain forms a backdrop to Civic Park. It was
built in 1966, and is illuminated at night.
The Newcastle Regional Art Gallery, in Laman Street, 4974 5100, was opened
in 1977 by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. It houses the city's Art Collection
and features visiting exhibitions regularly. In front of the building is
another gift from Ube, a stainless steel sculpture, 'Space Two'. The gallery
is hopen Tues-Sun 10am-5pm and entry is free.
Christ Church Anglican Cathedral overlooks the city from the top of the
hill, and can be seen from harbour, sea and suburbs. The foundation for
the first cathedral was laid in 1817 and was in use until 1884 when another
(now the Cathedral Hall opposite) was erected. The present cathedral was
dedicated in 1902, and was eventually completed, tower and all, in 1979.
It is hopen from early morning until 6pm. Guides are available on Sat and
Sun afternoons.
Hunter Mall became a pedestrian arcade in 1980, and is framed by fine Victorian
and Edwardian buildings. As well as David Jones department store, it has
many specialty stores.
Fort Scratchley, on Nobbys Road, is Australia's only fort that went to
war. An historical fort, it was built in the mid-1880s near the site where
Lt Shortland first landed on September 9, 1879. It is one of two remaining
19th century closed fort complexes in NSW. Believing that Newcastle was
a place likely to be attacked from sea, the Government decided a major
fort should be built on Signal Hill. It was largely completed in 1882.
In June 1942, it was involved in an attack by a Japanese Submarine. The
guns, now on display in the fort, returned the fire, causing the submarine
to break off. This was the only time in Australian history that heavy guns
were fired in hostility from coastal defences. The fort houses the Newcastle
Region Maritime Museum, which has many interesting exhibits, and is hopen
week-ends and Public Holidays from midday-4pm.
The Ocean Baths, located at Newcastle Beach and at Mere-wether Beach, are
the two largest saltwater baths in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Obelisk, up the hill just to the south of the city,
is in the park bounded by Bindle Reserve Road, Ordnance
Street & Wolfe Street. It
marks the site of Newcastle's first windmill. The mill was erected in
1820 and became a navigational mark for ships approaching
Newcastle. It was
demolished in 1847, and the obelisk erected in 1850. In early 1987 it
was struck by lightning, but has since been repaired.
The multi-million dollar Queen's Wharf and Harbour is a pleasant attraction.
You can walk along the promenade, metres away from ships from all over
the world, or hire a Daisy Trike or bike and pedal your way around. The
complex is only 50m from the Hunter Mall, and includes a marina, a seafood
restaurant, a boutique brewery, the Tourist Information Centre and variety
shops. From the top of the tower in the complex one has a view of the city,
harbour and beaches north up to Port Stephens, and west to the Watagan
Mountains. On weekends there are horse-drawn carriage rides available,
bands playing, and a complete holiday atmosphere. Unique little 'shop barrows'
are located along its foreshores.
At Harbourside Markets, cnr Wharf Road & Merewether
Street, there's everything to buy, in the classic market
style.
William the Fourth was the first Australian-built coastal steamship, and
is now anchored at Queen's Wharf. It is available for historical cruises
around Newcastle Harbour. See the Tourist Information Centre for all the
details.
Newcastle Regional Museum, 787 Hunter Street, 4962 2001,
is the leading Regional Museum in the country. It features
exhibits about the industrial
and technological heritage of the surrounding region, its social history,
lifestyle and environment. The redevelopment of the former Castlemain & Wood
Bros Brewery into the museum was a major Bicentennial project. The museum
is hopen Tues-Sun and public holidays 10am-5pm.
Supernova, Newcastle's Science and Technology Fun Centre is housed within
the Regional Museum. It is hands-on science, a museum where kids are encouraged
to touch the displays. Supernova is open the same hours as the Museum,
and there is a moderate admission fee.
Nobbys Head was first described by Captain Cook as a "small clump of an
island". It was reduced in 1826 by half its size to improve access by
ships to the harbour. In 1846, it was connected to the mainland by the
breakwater.
On top of Nobbys is a lighthouse signal station, and Nobbys Beach is
a popular surfing beach with the Novocastrians.
The Heritage Centre, 4925 2265, next door to the Post Office in Hunter
Street, is Newcastle's former Police Station (1859), and is operated by
the Hunter Region National Trust. The centre features an environmental
Gift Shop, hopen Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.
Beaches
Newcastle Beach offers safe swimming from the rocks at the northern end
to the front of the club pavilion, and surfboard riding to the southern
end. Surfest, one of the world's leading surfing events takes place here
every November. The floodlit and patrolled Ocean Baths are here also.
Nobbys Beach is an excellent family beach. There is good surfing on the
reef, at the northern end and at Cowrie hole to the south (patrolled).
Horseshoe Beach is Newcastle's only harbour beach, and is popular with
trainers and their racehorses. It is also a good fishing spot.
Stockton Beach, is opposite the city, and offers safe swimming from the
breakwater to Hereford Street, and good surfing from there to the north.
The main beach is patrolled. Here you can check out the wreck of the Sygna
(1974).
Bar Beach to the south of Newcastle Beach and the Bogey Hole, is also a
good family beach with safe swimming from the northern end (Bar area) to
the front of the pavilion, and surfboard riding from there to the southern
end. There is plenty of parking. The beach is patrolled and floodlit.
Susan Gilmore Beach, is accessed from the extreme northern end of Bar Beach,
via a path down the cliff face, or over the rocks at low tide. The beach
was named after an American ship that was wrecked here. It is a nudist
beach, and is not patrolled.
Merewether Beach is an excellent swimming beach with good beachbreak surfboard
riding south of the club house. The beach is patrolled and floodlit. There
are Ocean Baths here too.
Dixon Park Beach offers safe swimming in front of the clubhouse, and is
good for surfing, board and ski, in front of the cliff. The beach is patrolled.
Burwood and Dudley Beaches are excellent for swimming and board riding,
but these nudists beaches are not patrolled.
Out-of-City Attractions
Shortland Wetlands Centre. The Centre is situated on 65ha (160 acres) of
wetland along Sandgate Road, Shortland on the edge of Hexham Swamp. More
than 170 species of birds have been recorded here, with at least 30 of
these breeding. During the summer months, several thousand egrets nest
in the paperbark trees in one of the shallow swamps. Facilities include
a Visitors Centre with static and live animal displays and a souvenir
shop that provides light refreshments; picnic tables; walking trails;
and a bird observation tower. Canoes can be hired for exploring the 7km
of waterways around Hexham Swamp. The Wetlands Centre is located less
than 1km from the Shortland Shopping Centre along Sandgate Road, Shortland,
and a 10 minute walk away from Sandgate Railway Station. The centre is
hopen daily 9am-5pm, with extended hours during holiday seasons. An small
admission price applies. Phone 4951 6466 for more information. The Information
Centre in Newcastle can arrange half day tours and twilight walks to
Shortland Wetlands.
Blackbutt Reserve. A reserve of approximately 180ha,
Blackbutt is situated in the middle of Newcastle's suburbia.
It consists of open forest land intersected by four valleys
running from west to east. One of the area's greatest attractions,
apart from vegetation, animals and uncommon birds, is its
seclusion from the City around it. The Reserve is a popular
spot with the locals and a source of interest for overseas
tourists keen to observe the exhibition of Australian indigenous
wildlife, including wombats, koalas, kangaroos, emus, wallabies
and native birds. Families can prepare a meal, relax or play
in the grounds with the barbecue facilities, children's playground,
several quaint ponds and marked bush-walking tracks available.
It is hopen all year, 10am-5pm for the wildlife exhibits,
and there is no admission fee. The Maritime Model Club launch
their ships on the biggest pond every Saturday. The Tourist
Office has a leaflet setting out the various bush-walks and
all the attractions, or you can call direct on 4952 1449.
Tours
The Tourist Office has details of tours in and around Newcastle, and of
Hunter River and harbour cruises that are available. Here are two worth
enquiring about:
Australian Scenic Tours, 50 Hunter Street, 4929 4333.
Free Spirit Charters, Level 4, 175 Scott Street, 4929 1908.
There are several helicopter flights over the city, the surrounding coastal
areas, and further afield to the Vineyards and to Moffats Oyster Barn at
Swan Bay. Scenic Helicopter Flights, cnr Hannel and Cowper Streets, Wickham,
4962 2240, is one company operating in the area.
Daily departures from Newcastle, Maitland and Cessnock to the Vineyards
are available, visiting a range of wineries from small family-owned to
large commercial, with numerous tastings.
Two of these tours are Hunter Vineyard Tours, 4991 1659, and The Wine and
Cheese Tasting Tour, 4938 5031.
Festivals
The Matarra Festival is held each September.
Facilities
Newcastle has all the facilities you would expect of a city its size. Theatre
and cinema programmes are in the daily newspapers, and the Yellow Pages
Telephone Book has details of all sporting facilities. The Tourist Information
Centre has all the details.
Outlying Attractions Forster - Tuncurry
North of Newcastle, about 161km (100 miles), are the twin towns of Forster
and Tuncurry, which are the major tourist areas of the Great Lakes, and
are renowned for their beaches, fishing, seafoods and temperate climate
all year around.
On land there is the Booti Booti National Park to explore, and the Cape
Hawke Bicentennial Walk with its panoramic viewing platform. The popular
beaches and lakes provide ample opportunites for swimming, fishing and
sailing.
Forster has the Great Lakes Visitor Centre located in Little Street, (02)
6554 8799 or 1800 802 692. It is open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm. They have a web
page at www.greatlakes.org.au and
an email address at tourglc@tpgi. com.au
Barrington Tops
The Barrington Tops National Park is about 110km (68 miles) north-west
of Newcastle, travelling through Raymond Terrace and Dungog. The area
is on the World Heritage List.
The fabulous Barrington Tops landscape is the drawcard. It is very mountainous
country, with many 4WD and hiking tracks, but care should be taken as many
people have become lost wandering off the beaten track. There are many
excellent places to spend a few days in this marvellous setting, suiting
a wide range of budgets and tastes.
A wonderful website covers this area in great depth: www.
barringtons.com.au
Dungog Visitors Information Centre is on the corner of Dowling and Brown
Streets, Dungog, 4992 2212, or email: dungogvc@ midac.com.au. It is open
Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and Sat-Sun 9am-3pm.
The Gloucester Visitor Information Centre is on the corner of Church & Denison
Streets, Glou-cester, 6558 1408, or email: glosinfo@tpg.com.au. It is open
7 days 9.30am-4.30pm.
Port Stephens
Port Stephens is a 45 minute coastal drive north of Newcastle, and is regarded
as one of the most attractive and unspoilt waterways anywhere in Australia.
It proclaims itself as the 'Dolphin Capital of Australia', since more
than 140 bottlenose dolphins reside in the port, which is more than twice
the size of Sydney Harbour. Further upstream from where the Myall River
flows into the Port are the Broadwater and the Myall Lakes systems with
lovely waterways, tiny uninhabited islands, abundant bird life, a national
park, and unpolluted beaches stretching north to the Smith's and Wallace
Lakes systems.
What were once isolated fishing settlements around the Port's foreshores,
have become connected with the influx of residents and tourist facilities.
The main centres are Shoal Bay, Nelson Bay, Salamander Bay and Soldiers
Point, and the smaller, and somewhat newer areas are Lemon Tree, Mallabula,
Tanilba Bay and Oyster Cove.
On the waterway's northern reaches are the holiday centres of Tea Gardens
and Hawks Nest, both offering good accommodation, beaches and facilities.
Lying only a couple of hours away from Sydney by car, this is a booming
tourist area that bustles with visitors in the peak summer season. Nelson
Bay is the Port Stephens service centre, with a variety of shops, a movie
cinema, a supermarket, restaurants, banks, a pub, and plenty more. People
flock to the scenic Marina for shopping, dining and entertainment.
There is no shortage of activities to occupy your time in Port Stephens,
from all manner of watersports to a number of Hunter Valley wine tours.
The area also has theme parks catering for children, including Toboggan
Hill Park in Salamander Bay, 4984 1022; Tomteland Australia in Williamtown,
4965 1500; and Oakvale Farm and Fauna World in Salt Ash, 4982 6222.
The Port Stephens Visitor Information Centre is on Victoria Parade, Nelson
Bay, (02) 4981 1579 or 1800 808 900. It is open 9am-5pm Mon-Fri and 9am-4pm
Sat, Sun and Public Holidays. You will find it at the drive-way entrance
to the Marina. Email them at tops@hunterlink.net.au or find the website
at www.port stephens.org.au
Hunter Valley
The beauty of the Hunter, with its rolling hills covered in rows of grape-vines
and surrounded by tall mountains, surprises many visitors. There are
over 1500ha (3705 acres) of vineyards under cultivation in the Lower
Hunter-Pokolbin district near Cessnock, and more than 1600ha (3952 acres)
planted in the Upper Hunter, centred around the towns of Muswellbrook
and Denman.
Renowned for the production of top quality table wines, the Valley's wineries
range in size and production from small family affairs, where their entire
vintage goes in their own tastings and cellar door sales, to large famous
brand company bottlers whose award-winning labels have become household
names.
In the last few decades, the rising popularity of the Hunter has produced
a rapid development in ancillary visitor amenities with restaurants, craft
shops, galleries and children's playgrounds becoming parts of many of the
wineries. Even if you are not in the grip of the grape, a day at Pokolbin
Estate Vineyard, or Hungerford Hill wine village, is good fun for all the
family.
The main Tourist Information Centre for the area is in Cessnock, but there
is another in Maitland, in King Edward Park, Banks Street East, (02)
4933 2611.
Murrurundi
The town of Murrurundi on the Pages River occupies the northernmost point
of the Hunter Valley, and has historic old buildings, many classified
by the National Trust. Tales of bushrangers are intertwined with the
region. Ben Hall was born here, and Thunderbolt roamed in the area in
the latter part of the last century.
Sheep, cattle and horse breeding are the major interests, and the mountain
scenery of the Liverpool Ranges, at the town's doorstep, gives an unparalleled
view of the valley.
Scone
Scone was first settled during the 1830s by Scottish settlers who likened
the countryside to their homeland, and named many spots after their birthplaces.
The town is now a thriving commercial centre supporting important rural
industries, and is well known for its thoroughbred horses, cattle and
sheep from stud properties in the area. Scone is also the inland gateway
to the Barrington Tops region, via the Scone-Gloucester Road.
Nearby Glenbawn Dam is well stocked with freshwater fish, and is ideal
for boating, yachting, water skiing and swimming.
The Burning Mountain, off the New England Highway between Scone and Murrurundi,
turn-off just north of Wingen, has been burning for thousands of years.
According to Aboriginal legend, a tribesman was lighting his fire on the
mountainside when he was carried off into the earth by the evil one. Unable
to escape, he used his fire sticks to set the mountain alight so that the
smoke might warn others to keep away. Today the mountain is easily reached
via a two kilometre walking track.
Travelling south through Aberdeen, which once housed a thriving abbatoir,
one comes to Muswellbrook.
Scone has a Visitor Information Centre on the corner of Susan & Kelly
Streets, hopen daily 9am-5pm. Email them at stic@scone .nsw.gov.au or phone
them on (02) 6545 1526.
Muswellbrook
The Muswellbrook area has benefitted in recent years with the growth of
the mining and power industries, and as well, the wine industry. The
major rural activity, though, is dairy farming. Produce is supplied through
the Hunter Valley Co-operative Dairy Company's processing plant at Muswellbrook.
The area boasts a number of Art and Craft Galleries, and the Rainbow Zone
Fun Centre in Industrial Close, 6541 4279.
For more information, the Muswellbrook Visitor Information Centre is in
87 Hill Street, (02) 6541 4050. hOpen 9am-5pm daily. A web page lets you
explore the area at www.muswellbrook.
org.au
Denman
Situated in one of the most fertile areas of the Hunter Region, some 15km
south-west of Muswellbrook off the New England Highway, Denman has many
fine horse and cattle studs, and has become an acknowledged quality wine
producing area.
Vineyards in the area are: Arrowfield, 6576 4041, one of the largest in
Australia;
Rosemount Estate, 6549 6400; McGuigan Wines, 6547 2422; and Horsehoe Vineyard,
6547 3528.
The nearby Widden Valley is considered to be second only to America's famous
Kentucky Blue Grass region for the breeding of racehorses.
Singleton
Back on the New England Highway we come to the geographical heart of the
Hunter Valley, Singleton. It has the Hunter River flowing past its doorstep
and irrigating the surrounding rich grazing land.
Nearby Lake St Clair offers boating and fishing, and maps of the waterways
are available from the Information Centre.
The Singleton Army Camp includes the Royal Australian Infantry Corps Museum,
which is hopen to visitors 9am-4pm Wed-Sun.
On the New England Highway, between Singleton and Muswellbrook, are the
Liddell (6542 1611) and Bayswater (6542 1611) Power Stations, which are
two of the biggest thermal power stations in the Southern Hemisphere. Visitor
tours are available at certain times by arrangement.
The Singleton Information Centre at the southern entrance to the town,
in the Shire Council, Civic Centre on Queen Street. They are hopen Mon-Fri
8.30am-4.30pm, (02) 6578 7267. The website is: www.singleton.nsw.gov.au and
the email address is ssc@ singletoncouncil.nsw.gov.au
Cessnock
The town of Cessnock is 52km (32 miles) from Newcastle and 185km (115 miles)
from Sydney. It is the gateway to the wineries, with approximately 30
in the area. Cessnock is the major town in the area, but the satellite
district of Pokolbin provides the real accommodation treats.
The historic village of Wollombi, 31km (19 miles) south-west of Cessnock,
has a few interesting buildings worth visiting - the Court House, St John's
Anglican Church and the two-storey Post Office.
The Visitor Information Centre is in Turner Park, Aberdare Road, and hopens
7 days, Mon-Thu 9am-5pm, Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9.30am-5pm and Sunday and Public
Holidays 9.30am-3.30pm. The Information Centre has a list of all the attractions
in the town, and of the wineries which are open for tours and cellar door
sales. They can be emailed at info@winecountry. com.au or visited at the
website www.winecountry.com.au
Kurri Kurri
Kurri Kurri is the closest notable town in the Hunter Valley to Sydney
(150km) and it lies fairly close to the end of the northern freeway,
but really there are more picturesque places to stay in the region, so
an extra drive is worth the time.
Near the town of Kurri Kurri is the Richmond Vale Railway Museum and the
Richmond Main Colliery, but opening days are limited so phone 4937 5344
or 4936 1124 if you are fascinated by mid-nineteenth century mining and
engineering accomplishments. The historic Kurri Kurri Hotel on the corner
of Lang and Hampden Streets is also worth a visit.
