Newcastle

We got into Newcastle in mid-afternoon and checked into our hotel, in the rooms above a large pub. Kit dropped, we drove into the city centre aiming for the fort. The city of Newcastle is truly beautiful - industrial heartland sits alongside tourist surf beaches and both gleam under the low winter sun. It was incredibly, almost unnervingly, quiet, feeling more like a heritage museum in places than one of the ten biggest cities in Australia.

On the walk up the port road, an announcement of a the loud speaker of the beach announced a pod of four whales was passing the bay. The view across the bay - the lighthouse at one end, across the beach and fort down a long coastline - is spectacular and to see more whales breaching and dolphin playing in the surf so close to the bay was brilliant.

The fort itself was an interesting visit, being the only Australian fort to fire on enemy forces in WWII. From here, a stroll in to the city passing some fascinating heritage buildings including the facades of a demolished block seemingly being preserved to become the front for some new buildings. The local brewery, Foghorn, allowed us to try some more locally brewed beers and have a lovely late lunch. By the time we got back to the car, the sun was setting across the harbour and the full, super-moon was hanging brightly over the fort. We spent some time watching the sunset (and taking photos!) before driving back to the hotel for beers and bed.Read more