There has been about a three week gap since my last post, caused entirely by being out of the country on an extended trip to Australia to visit family and further explore that island continent. If you are so inclined, you may read the entire saga of my 2009 journey to Oz at this link – Australia 2009.
The City of Newcastle as seen from Old Nobby
After a few days with Matt and his family in Sydney, I took the train 2.5 hours north to the seaside community of Newcastle, rumored to be the 6th largest city in Australia. Once there, I found a delightful habitation nestled against the Pacific Ocean on one side and an ocean estuary on the other with beautiful beaches everywhere.
I spent about 3 hours traipsing about, taking photos and absorbing the local atmosphere. The high point of my day was a delightful grilled chicken sandwich with bacon and avocado, eaten whilst overlooking the water. Umm….umm. Delicious!
I rather enjoyed my visit to Newcastle. The rain that pelted the train on the way up gave way to a gorgeous day of blue skies dotted with cottony clouds. I got quite a bit of sun just walking around – a reminder that Australia is a bit nearer the Equator than we New Englanders are accustomed to. Sunscreen is not an option.
Whether Newcastle is a large town or a small city makes little difference. It is a comfortable and inviting place to be that features extensive green space, exquisite architecture and a rolling terrain reminiscent of San Francisco. And it has Old Nobby keeping vigil over the surroundings night and day. Not every place can make that claim!
Old Nobby stands guard over Newcastle
For more photos of Newcastle, please follow this link.
Rhode Trips 
That looks like a fun place to visit. I’d love to visit Australia. Being a car enthusiast, that’s where some of my favourite cars are made.
There are some excellent automobiles Down Under. My son’s Ford Mondeo is a sedan I would seriously consider if it were offered here in the US. I’ll be doing a blog post about antipodes cars here shortly, so stay tuned!
By the way, Justin, if you spell “favourite” with a “u”, you would fit right in in Australia.
I’ll bet I would. I’ve been spelling favour, savour, honour, centre, fibre, centre, theatre, etc. for a long time. I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington USA. I’ve visited the UK, and I’ve visited Canada, but I’ve never lived in the UK, Canada, or Australia. I’d like to live in Australia one day for at least a year. And BTW, my name is Jason, J.A.S.O.N., not Justin. Being a General Motors car guy, I might be inclined to lean towards their Holden cars. That being said, there are some cool Ford cars that have been built in Australia.
My apologies, Jason. I have an internet friend named Justin and I must have been having a “senior moment” !
No worries, man. I’ve had people mis-say my name alot. I’ve had people mis-spell my last name more times than I can count. I love reading your columns. Keep up the good work.