I made the long trip home from Oman to Lake Macquarie 2 weeks ago and while I was there my wife and I organised to meet some friends for lunch in Newcastle at the Honeysuckle Hotel on Wharf Road. Trying to negotiate the CBD was an absolute nightmare with both the construction of the light rail and the supercar race circuit both happening at the same time. The final result will no doubt be worth it as it bring in lots of visitors but I imagine for the people who live or work in the east end it would be an absolute pain in the butt. One thing I will say though - I am not a big race car fan but that circuit which runs through city streets along the harbour front and past the beaches should make an amazing backdrop and it will really show people who have never been to this "dirty industrial city" what they have been missing.
Newcastle will never be the bustling city of the 70's again a retirement village yes, with 30% of hunter st
shops empty and the light rail taking up parking space that is needed because only the people who can't
afford a car catch a train to nowhere and then are marooned in the dead west end waiting on some form of
transport to arrive to take you from the hub from hell, good joke Gladys! Please tell us how you would feel
being unable to leave your house for 3 days during an 8 hr period each day because the race cars are 3
meters off your front door? Have you actually seen the circuit route, hardly past the beaches more like bypass the beaches. That's my rant, Newcastle is a shamoozle!
Now, I don't go near the place when its in such a construction mess, and there is no way I'm going to see car race around (god give me strength), BUT when the bandages come off, it will be great.
Love the new light rail, the influx of university students and academics, the now court precinct, restaurants, harbour side venues,parks and beaches.
Nice to see the old girl tarted up....just a shame its done for a bloody car race.
I was there a few months back and agree with how hard it was getting around with all the works going on. I did like the ocean baths though, after I found parking.
Really, I was outa there as quick I arrived really. I wasn't over impressed at all.
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I have to agree about the degeneration of Hunter Street Kebbin from the bustling place that it was when I was growing up in the 60s and 70s to what it has become now. It shouldn't come as any surprise though with the introduction of huge shopping complexes in the suburbs, very limited and expensive parking, lack of a proper public transport system, a city council that is a basket case and successive state governments who think that the NSW border is located somewhere in Sydney's outer suburbs. The natural attractions such as the surfing beaches, the working harbour and it's history should make Newcastle city an attractive tourist destination. Yes there has been some nice things done such as the Honeysuckle foreshore redevelopment and the Anzac Walk but this is then offset by other ill conceived ideas such as a half built light rail system that will start and finish in places that nobody really wants to go to. For all it's shortcomings Newcastle still manages to be ranked in Lonely Planets 10 most liveable cities and also as one of the 10 best new world cruise destinations - think how it would score if the planning authorities were able to get all their ducks in a line.
Kebbin my comment that the track ran past the beaches was based on a video I watched on the Newcastle 500 website my impression was that you would be able to see both Newcastle & Nobbys beaches during a lap but maybe I was wrong.
Recently visited Newcastle twice after my son bought an investment unit in Belmont. To go from Vic to NSW North Coast we've always bypassed Newcastle (old Pacific Hwy, now Pacific Motorway). Last time we stayed at Hawks Nest for a few days and drove to Newcastle via Stockton. Stockton is pretty, old, underdeveloped place with a van park on the beach and a short walk down the main street via quite a few pubs to the ferry across to the Newcastle CBD. Drove along the coast from Nobby's Beach to Merewether. The time before we travelled around the lake after checking out my son's unit. Talk about location, location. Just hope all the development in the downtown area is a sign of good times to come. The drive around the coast was brilliant.
