Newcastle

Fun fact: Newcastle was settled in 1801 as a colony for the worst behaved criminals. But don’t worry, Rachel and I behaved just fine! Although Newcastle is quite small, it was well worth the trip. We arrived around noon on Wednesday and after dropping off our backpacks at the hostel we headed straight to the beach, about a two- minute walk from where we were staying. Jealous? After lying in the sun for a few hours we walked around exploring the town and ended up at the Queen’s Wharf, the prettiest spot in town. We climbed 180 steps to the top of the tower to take in the beautiful view and snap some pictures before the sun set.

Rachel and I climbed to the top of a very steep hill, on a very hot day. The view was worth it.

Queen Wharf Tower

Our hostel, it was small but very clean. We stayed in a room with four other girls and even had our own private bathroom which was a real treat! There were also two girls from St. Louis who worked at the front desk.

The next day we went on a 4km coastal walk which passed through Newcastle Beach, Bogey Hole the oldest ocean pool in Australia (built by those naughty convicts in 1820), Bar Beach, and Merewether Beach. As we walked on the beach, there was a family of dolphins swimming right along with us. I’ve never seen so many dolphins for such a long period of time. It was amazing. That night we went to a free barbeque with other backpackers from our hostel at The Brewery, a restaurant on the Queen’s Wharf, and also participated in trivia night. Although my team and I gave a valiant effort, we did not come out on top.

Newcastle Beach

Merewether Beach

Rachel and I thought we could walk along this rocky beach and make our way to Bogey Hole. We were wrong.

On our last day, we went on a day tour of Hunter Valley, the oldest wine region in Australia. We started our first wine tasting at ten in the morning and weren’t done until after three o’clock that afternoon! We went to five wineries, a cheese shop, and stopped at a charming little village to have lunch. Each tasting began with a bit of sparkling wine, the bubbles help cleanse the palette, then we moved on to three whites, three reds, port, and dessert wines. I can’t say I cared very much for the port wines because they are brandy infused, but I did discover I’m a fan of Shiraz and of course Chardonnay, a taste I most likely inherited from my mother. It was a wonderful day and something I can see myself doing again when my parents come to visit.

It was slightly overcast all day, but vineyards were still stunning.

My favorite vineyard of the day, Kevin Sobels Wine