Blogs from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania - page 11

Arrived in Newcastle at 9pm, and found our way to the hostel which we booked. There wasn't any camp sites so we had to make do. We were put in a 16 bed dorm which was miy (lisa's) worst nightmare, but i survived. The next morning we took a walk into town and had a little look round before grabbing some food and heading back to the campsite. That evening we walked back into town to watch a singer/guitarist play in a local pub. He was great, but was serrenaded by a gay guy all night who really tested our patience. Newcastle was ok but not too much to do there. We ended up camping in the hostal ground for the next two nights which was so much better as i got my own personal space. ... read more

So here I am, finally back to Australia, and all happy about it. The weather here is great, we have around 30 degrees, and it is sunny with a comfy cool breeze. I'm just sitting in Monica and Scott's backyard in Newcastle. But let's start with my journey. My flight to Seoul, South Korea, was just a pure luxury. I had three seats for myself, as well as three pillows and three blankets. No wonder I had a good sleep on my way to Seoul. In Seoul, I took a walk around the airport. Last time, I had only seen it from the inside. The airport is a huge, modern building, with shops and restaurants, of course, but also with a beautifully arranged indoor garden. One funny thing I found is that there are emergency defibrillators ... read more

guten morgen meine lieben, so da bin ich wieder aus dem land der kangaroos. ich muss euch verkuenden, dass zwar erst wenige tage seit dem letzten eintrag vergangen sind, aber jede menge aufregende sachen passiert sind. als wir uns in sydney so ziemlich alles was uns interessant erschien angeguckt hatten, kamen wir auf die grossartige idee uns nen auto zu kaufen. UND WAS SAG ICH EUCH, JAJA, DER LUKI IST JETZT INHABER EINES RIESEN TOYOTA-KOMBIS MIT SCHLAFMOEGLICHKEIT!!! geil oder?? so leicht wie es sich anhoert, war es natuerlich nicht. zunaechst ist es erstmal so (damit auch mal martin g. von meinen ideen 100% ueberzeugt ist) =) lach, dass man mit einem auto die moeglichkeit hat, auch mal das hinterland mit unzaehligen wunderschoenen national parks zu sehen und einfach mal die absolute freiheit hat, dorthin zu fahren, ... read more

Today some of our friends went to a 50th birthday party in Newcastle and the rest of us caught the ferry over to Newcastle and walked up to Fort Scratchley to explore. It was a very interesting day. We took a tour through the tunnels at the Fort which reminded me so much of the similar forts set up at Middle Head. Our guide told us all about the attack on Newcastle by the Japanese sub. and how Fort Scratchley returned fire. Before it became Fort Scratcheley, the Awabakal people used the area, convicts mined it and signalmen lit coal fired beacons to show mariners the entrance to the port of Newcastle. The military built the fort in 1882, and it is the only Australian Coastal Defence Battery to have returned fire on an enemy vessel ... read more

This morning we left Rosies and drove to Stockton which is a small village just north of Newcastle. We met up with five other couples here and enjoyed three days exploring the area. The caravan park is in a fabulous position it fronts both Stockton Beach and Newcastle Harbour waterfront park. There is plenty to do here. There are lots of lovely places to walk and the busy coal shipping harbour provides lots of interesting activity. There were all sorts of craft on the water, tug boats, big ships, sailing ships, jet skiis, long boats, canoes, water skiers, kite surfers etc. A very interesting and enjoyable place to stay.... read more