After the Hunter Valley Marathon: Newcastle

The Route: Lovedale → Newcastle → Newcastle Airport Logistics: About an hour by road from Lovedale to central Newcastle. Return the hire car in the city or at the airport. Marathon Month: July Duration: 1 night

Lovedale ──(about 1 hr by road)──> Newcastle
                                        │
Newcastle Airport (NTL) <──(about 30 mins by road)──┘

The Winery Run marathon finishes at Wandin Estate on a Sunday morning in July. Newcastle is the natural next stop, because it has an airport, a compact centre and a coastline that does not demand climbing.

July in Newcastle: winter. Days are usually in the high teens Celsius, nights are cool, and the coast is breezy. Rain is possible. Humpback whales pass the coast on their northward migration in the cooler months, so a sighting from a headland is possible, though never guaranteed. It is not swimming weather.

Night One: Newcastle

Newcastle Museum is free for permanent exhibitions and is usually open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00, so check the current times and remember it is closed on Mondays. Fort Scratchley overlooks the harbour and Nobbys, and entry to the grounds and museum is free. The tunnel tours involve stairs and narrow spaces, so leave them out.

The most recovery-friendly walk is the Honeysuckle foreshore, a flat harbour boardwalk with cafés and restaurants, and it is level, paved and has benches along the way. Nobbys Beach and the ocean baths are a short walk from the east end of the city, and a gentle stroll on the sand near the water is enough.

For a bed, Novotel Newcastle Beach is close to the beach and the foreshore, and QT Newcastle is a central hotel in the East End. Both are close to restaurants, so there is little need for a taxi.

For a meal, Scottie's in Newcastle East serves seafood and takeaway fish and chips, and Honeysuckle has a wider range of waterfront restaurants. Check the current opening days.

Bathers Way and the Ocean Baths

The Bathers Way is a coastal path of about six kilometres that links Nobbys Beach to Merewether, a mix of sealed path and boardwalk with some gentle rises. On tired legs, take a short section only. From the Nobbys Beach car park, a walk of about one kilometre along the sand and promenade to Newcastle Ocean Baths is flat and paved, with benches. The baths are a large ocean pool built on the rock shelf, and swimming in July is a brisk experience, so for most people they are for looking at.

Fort Scratchley and the Harbour

Fort Scratchley has views across the harbour entrance, where coal ships wait offshore for a berth. The grounds are a short uphill walk from Watt Street, and the gradient is steady but brief. Whales sometimes pass the headland in winter, and the lookout is a good place to watch.

Honeysuckle and the Harbour Ferry

Honeysuckle is the easiest place in the city for a slow afternoon. The boardwalk runs level for about a kilometre along the harbour edge, with wide paths, benches and cafés, and the light rail stops close by if the walk back is too much. From Queens Wharf the Stockton ferry crosses the harbour in a few minutes, and it is a cheap way to sit on the water for a short time. Check the ferry timetable and fare on the transport authority website, because times vary on weekends and public holidays.

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