Too wild for castles in the sand

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We were going to give here a miss but we'd a few days to play with so on we came to Newcastle.....mainly an industrial city with a harbour & beach.......but you'd never think that it was Christmas here. Normally at this time of year at home the shops would be hopping & open every hour of the day but that doesn't seem to happen here....everything shuts up shop at normal hours & there are no throngs of people rushing around as if the shops are about to close down forever.....it's strange. But I can gladly report that there are Christmas decorations on the street with music so I'm finally starting to feel Christmassy.....the blustery weather has helped with that too.

First night out & we stayed in one of the dingier hostels so far in Oz....I was half-considering bringing my hurley to bed with me that night but didn't. Anyway we were quick to pack up the next morning....the room was tiny & I actually had a nightmare that the man in the bottom bunk was attacking me....so we upgraded to a lovely hostel with a great big Christmas tree at the bottom of a wooden staircase....oh YHA is the best & such a lovely homely feel about it.

The next few days here were more like autumn at home than summer....I did attempt surfing but it was too rough. Didn't think Grace would fancy running in to save me so quickly cut my losses that day at sea. The night we arrived we had "time-out" time at the cinema but a storm blew up during it & flooded the front of the cinema....when it rains it rains!! There are big outdoor baths here too & it's not that I'm delicate but I went in one day & only lasted about 30 minutes to the point that I thought I'd die of hypothermia.....much prefer the heated pools.

The hostel has great deals for keeping us backpackers happy too....free dinner in the local Irish pub with pool one night & trivia another.....well the meal was good if not on the minimal side so it made for a starter for the real deal......& the pool was great craic. Now I wouldn't in the slightest boast about my pool skills but I got 2nd in this "killer ball" round.....probably because the people before me very kindly set the shots up for me.....needless to say that when the real pool playing began I was found out to be a fraud & was out in the first round...ah well it was good while it lasted!!!

So what did we get up to??....mooched around, strolled, ate, beach, gym, infrequently I add.......yeah it was a relaxing few days. Nice place & definitely worth a stay.

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