Newcastle is the second-largest city in New South Wales and the sixth-largest in Australia. The mouth of the Hunter River is its location. Generally, the Hunter Valley recognises it as the ‘gateway’ and considers it the economic, administrative, and industrial hub of the area.
Also, it has a wide variety of beaches, a rich heritage of Victorian architecture, a compelling early past of convicts and a vast selection of excellent restaurants and luxury accommodation options. Historically, the coal and steel town (taking advantage of the excellent harbour at the mouth of the Hunter River and the huge coal reserves beneath the Hunter Valley) has had to reinvent itself in the last two decades.
Today it is a modern city with an attractive and up-to-date port foreshore (lots of trendy restaurants and fun walks) and ample amenities to keep an interested tourist entertained for at least a week.
