Places to visit in and around Newcastle NSW

Blackbutt Reserve is a glorious 182-hectare swathe of bush skirting Kotara and New Lambton. You can choose from 7 signposted walking trails - 10km of boardwalks and trails in total - through varying bushland and along bubbling creeks.

You’ll discover a variety of wildlife and you’ll find many areas to picnic. You can also visit the kiosk or an adventure playground for the kids.

You can take a walk along the boardwalk to see koalas and wombats; birds such as kingfishers and black cockatoos; or reptiles such as the eastern long-necked turtle, diamond pythons and eastern blue-tongued lizard. You might even discover shy sugar gliders in the nocturnal house.

You’ll also see barking owls, nicknamed Giggle and Hoot (they sound just like a dog barking), echidnas, frogs and, if you’re lucky, tawny frog mouths (including one known as Oscar the Grouch).

Entry to Blackbutt Reserve is free. The wildlife exhibits are open from 10am to 4.30pm daily. Picnic facilities are open from 7am to 7pm daily, and the kiosk opens from 10am to 3pm daily, except Good Friday, Anzac Day and Christmas Day.

Located in the historic Honeysuckle Railway workshops, Newcastle Museum brings significant moments of Newcastle’s past, present and future to life in three major permanent exhibitions.

A Newcastle Story explores the natural environment, early Aboriginal life and Newcastle’s history and beliefs. Fire and Earth unveils Hunter’s industrial heart in a spectacular showcase of the region’s major industries. In Supernova, you’ll discover how science, maths and engineering come together in interactive exhibits that challenge, inspire and engage people of all ages.

With temporary exhibitions throughout the year, you might also find yourself viewing blockbuster visiting shows or locally-based community exhibitions.

Entry is free. The Museum is open 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Sunday. You can access via the Civic Light Rail Stop and enter through Museum Park.

Newcastle’s Bathers Way stretches 5.8 kilometres from Merewether Baths in the south to Nobbys Beach in the north.

Offering spectacular views abound from start to finish, this is the place for you to discover the city’s stunning coastal panoramas from the top of Strzelecki Lookout, to the iconic stretch of sand leading up to Nobbys Lighthouse.

You’ll also get to learn about the area’s rich history, steeped in tales of shipwrecks and convicts, wartime defences, peacetime developments and the use of this land by the local Awabakal and Worimi peoples.

You’ll need to be fit- the walk is a journey of hills and descents, but you’ll have plenty of opportunities to stop for a break at beach kiosks and cafes along the way. The path is 4 to 6 metres wide in most parts and you may choose to pack a picnic and enjoy a slower pace.

This walk includes the 450 metres into the Newcastle Memorial Walk.

Come and enjoy the Newcastle Memorial Walk, which opened in 2015 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Anzac landing in Gallipoli and a century since the commencement of steel making in Newcastle.

This extraordinary coastal walk honours the sacrifices of Australian soldiers during World War One and the city’s industrial foundation, with the walk built using 64 tonnes of stainless steel.

Within the steel silhouettes of soldiers, you’ll be able to view the names of almost 11,000 Hunter Valley men and women who enlisted during World War One.

You’ll also see the 160 metres bridge that starts at Strzelecki Lookout and leads to another stunning viewing platform and, if you’re after a longer walk, you can take a stairway that connects to Bathers Way, the coastal walk from Nobbys Beach to Merewether Beach.

The Newcastle Memorial walk, one of Newcastle’s biggest developments this century, offers more than just stunning cliff-top views – it tells an important story for younger generations.

With lights illuminating the path after dark, you are welcome to take in this amazing walk 24 hours a day.

Immediately to the north of Newcastle CBD and adjacent the mouth of the Hunter River, you’ll find Nobbys Beach, one of the city’s best known places for a swim and a surg.

With the beach on one side and a public recreational area including BBQ facilities on the other, this is the perfect spot to spend the day. You can also visit the nearby kiosk to grab coffee and cake, or some fish and chips or burgers.

Take a walk along the beach to Nobbys breakwall underneath the iconic Nobbys Lighthouse. If you’re lucky, you might see a coal ship being ushered into the harbour by hard-working tug boats.

You’ll find Nobbys Beach at the north end of the Bathers Way walk. You can also get there on Light Rail (Newcastle Beach stop). There is also parking available onsite and accessible amenities.

Immediately to the north of Newcastle CBD and adjacent the mouth of the Hunter River, you’ll find Nobbys Beach, one of the city’s best known places for a swim and a surg.

With the beach on one side and a public recreational area including BBQ facilities on the other, this is the perfect spot to spend the day. You can also visit the nearby kiosk to grab coffee and cake, or some fish and chips or burgers.

Take a walk along the beach to Nobbys breakwall underneath the iconic Nobbys Lighthouse. If you’re lucky, you might see a coal ship being ushered into the harbour by hard-working tug boats.

You’ll find Nobbys Beach at the north end of the Bathers Way walk. You can also get there on Light Rail (Newcastle Beach stop). There is also parking available onsite and accessible amenities.

Merewether Beach is one of the best known spots in Newcastle. Part of a beach reserve from Dixon Park in the north to Burwood Beach in the south, this is a place where you ‘ll enjoy superb views in all directions. You can enjoy a coffee at a beachside cafe and watch as locals walk their dogs, parents and kids enjoy the sunshine and the surfers roll-up by the dozen.

Merewether Beach is also home to the international surfing competition, Surfest, which runs from January to March, and you can enjoy great surfing conditions year-round.

Walk a bit further down the beach promenade, and you'll find Merewether Ocean Baths. Opened in 1935, they are the largest ocean baths in the Southern Hemisphere. Free to access, and hugely popular among visitors and locals alike, the Merewether Ocean Baths are perfect to cool off, enjoy some wave-free frolicking, and indulge in an oceanside ice cream or coffee. It is also the perfect location for professional and amateur photographers alike, especially at sunrise.

Merewether Beach is the southern end of the popular Bathers Way walk. There is accessible paths for everyone, and facilities such as toilets, showers, shelter and parking available.

King Edward Park has been a popular destination for locals and visitors since it was dedicated as a recreation reserve in 1863. At its heart is a grand Victorian rotunda with views out to the ocean within a scattering of Norfolk Island pines and a sunken garden usually ablaze of colour.

On the southern boundary you’ll discover the remains of the Shepherds Hill Battery and Gunner's Cottage, which were in regular use from 1890 to World War Two. You’ll also see connections with the city’s penal past, as the Bogey Hole ocean pool at the foot of the eastern cliff face was built by convicts.

This is a popular place for picnics and BBQs. The park has a playground and public toilets and is dog-friendly.