A Hidden Gem

Newcastle, a couple of hours North of Sydney, is a place that a lot of people miss out on their way up/down the East Coast; which is a shame as it really is a lovely little town with a relaxed vibe and lots of cute little shops and cafes. 

I’ve been here twice now in the past year and I’m currently just leaving again having spent the past five weeks working for accommodation at the Newcastle Beach YHA (more on that in a later post). 

Granted, if the weather isn’t great, which is hasn’t been for the past 3 weeks, there isn’t too much to do, but when the sun is shining this is the perfect place to be. There are gorgeous beaches, loads of free places to swim if the ocean isn’t for you, and some great walks with fantastic views and photo opportunities galore! 

Below are some of my favourite spots:

Newcastle Ocean Baths

The Bogey Hole 

Anzac Memorial Walk

Every Friday night (unless it’s raining) there is free live music in Pacific Park, which just happens to be right outside the YHA, and if you’re in Newcastle on the 3rd Saturday of the month the Hunt and Gather Markets are well worth a visit.

I also spent a lot of time at Yoga For All on Hunter street which is a gorgeous studio with ‘pay as you feel’ classes everyday. My favourite class is the Sunday night Yin Class; two hours of pure bliss! 

So if you’re looking for a chill after a hectic time in Sydney, or a few weeks of travelling down the East Coast, Newcastle is the place for you! 

Boring Byron Bay

Contraversial I know, but before I arrived in Byron Bay, everybody I spoke to told me that it was amazing and that everybody always wants to stay longer; so I arrived with very high expectations and left (on the day I had planned to) a bit disappointed.
There isn’t much to do and it’s pretty expensive so if it hadn’t been for the amazing Airbnb I stayed it (with one of the best beds I’ve ever slept in) I probably would have moved on earlier. 

The town itself is nice with a very relaxed, hippy vibe and some cool shops but unless you want to spend all day at the beach surfing and all night partying then there isn’t much to see or do. Although in saying that I did have one nice beach day, and a great night out with my hostel! 

(Confession: I am a fraud and didn’t actually surf)

One thing that I did really enjoy though was the lighthouse walk. It takes you along a boardwalk by the beaches and then up some pretty steep paths along the coast, with a stop along the way at the most Easterly point of Australia.

The views on the way up are amazing, despite the fact I went on a cloudy day.

One at the top the view is even better and I was lucky enough to time it for a free tour up to the top of the lighthouse with even better views across the whole of Byron.

After the lighthouse and a wander around town I felt like I had seen everything, and I think four days was a bit too long. But at least now I can say that I have been, as it would have been silly not to go as a backpacker travelling up the East Coast.