Eat and drink
UPRISING BAKERY
On weekends you might have to queue at this warehouse-style bakery (bakeduprising.com.au) in a suburban street in Maryville but odds are you’ll need that time to decide what to eat. The crew here makes bread, pastries, pies and sandwiches, plus you can take home jars of watermelon and strawberry jam, dukkah and piccalilli. If you’re paralysed by indecision, opt for the luscious brandy-soaked, twice-baked croissant with almond filling.
MEET
At this neon-signed Brazilianstyle barbecue restaurant (meet. restaurant) in Honeysuckle, close to the harbour foreshore, co-owner Mitch Steel sources beef, chicken, pork and lamb from top suppliers and treats it with restraint. That said, when you order the $55 signature churrasco, it keeps coming… and coming.
POPOLO ARTISAN GELATERIA
The pistachios are sourced from Sicily and the hazelnuts come from Piedmont but the on-point creaminess of the gelato is entirely homegrown at this inner-city store (popologelateria.com.au). The syrupy sour cherry is our pick of the delicious flavours.
GINGER MEG’S
Hidden down a dark, graffitied alley, Ginger Meg’s (gingermegsx. com.au) is a two-storey venue with green velvet banquettes and exotic artworks. On the plates are eats from every corner of South-East Asia created by chef Jordan Muhamad (ex-Chin Chin and Spice Temple), paired with inventive cocktails. The Indo-Malay chicken with sticky sambal is a standout, as is the sandwich-like play on Chinese prawn toast. “It’s an escape to a completely Asian experience in the centre of Newcastle,” says co-owner Marc Allardice.
BABYLON
Claiming the largest collection of whisky in NSW outside Sydney, Babylon (babylonnewcastle.com. au) is designed for slow drinking and long conversations, with cocktails and craft beers rounding out the drinks menu. It’s the latest venture for Philip Elsley, who also runs craft-beer bar The Blind Monk in the Newcastle suburb of Hamilton. Babylon is in the centre of town, housed in the early-20thcentury former Central Methodist Mission, and Elsley has chosen a sympathetic Prohibition-era fit-out to complement the building’s heritage.
THE KOUTETSU
Despite The Koutetsu’s rather soulless main-road location (555 Hunter Street, Newcastle West; 0431 760 025), it’s worth an evening trip to this dimly lit dive bar for killer cocktails and gyoza served with the glow of tea candles reflecting off black walls and moody murals. During the day, the adjoining hole-in-the-wall takeaway, Little Castro (0497 706 243), sells Cubano sandwiches (pork, Swiss cheese and pickles) and other Caribbean specialties.
Explore HUNT FOR HOMEWARES
When former magazine editor Lauren Powell and designer Brigita Millard discovered an industrial-warehouse space on the city’s fringe in the up-and-coming suburb of Maryville, they knew it was the perfect spot to open their homewares and lifestyle
store House of Lita (houseoflita. com.au). Pop in for Moroccan cushions and rugs, bedding and sleepwear from In Bed, women’s fashion by Nice Martin and children’s apparel from Millard’s label, Little Indahs. The store is tucked away in a quiet suburban street with little foot traffic but Powell says it’s these relatively hidden gems that are part of Newcastle’s attraction. (Uprising Bakery and Equium Social café are not in the main retail hubs either.) “It’s so easy to get around Newcastle that anyone can explore these little pockets,” she says. “You can even jump on a bike and ride to them.” Australia’s first electricbike hire stations (bykko.com.au), dotted across the city, are a great option for visitors.
BEND BEFORE BRUNCH
The sister café of perennial favourite Talulah (talulahbar. com.au) in The Junction, Equium Social (equiumsocial.com.au) has a breezy, open-plan layout and light-but-lush menu worth the short trip out of town to Mayfield East. Before brunch, catch a class next door at Earthie Yoga studio (earthie.com.au) then replenish any lost calories with a braised cabbage, beetroot relish and mozzarella toastie and chilled spearmint and hibiscus tea.
SHOP A LOCAL LABEL
High Tea with Mrs Woo (high teawithmrswoo.com.au) is an artisanal women’s fashion label owned by sisters Rowena, Juliana and Angela Foong. Their store has been operating on Darby Street in Cooks Hill since 2004 so buying one of their original garments made with natural fabrics means you’re taking home a piece of the city’s story.
VISIT THE MARKETS
Because of Newcastle’s proximity to the Hunter Valley, the city’s farmers’ market (newcastlecity farmersmarket.com.au), held on Sunday mornings at the Showground, features exceptional regional wines and fresh produce, including Mill Creek Vineyard shiraz and riesling and Johnson’s Farmgate Over the Moon Jersey milk. On the first Saturday of each month, The Olive Tree Market (theolivetreemarket.com.au) in Civic Park showcases the works of more than 150 local contemporary artists and designers, including ceramics, fashion and photography.
SEE ART IN A JAILHOUSE
There are arguably few things creepier than a disused jail. The Lock-Up (thelockup.org.au), where Newcastle’s ne’er-do-wells were incarcerated from 1861 to 1982, is particularly grim with its preserved padded cell and windowless exercise yard etched with desperate graffiti. Today,
the prison hosts artworks instead of inmates, its ever-changing mixed-media installations often designed to make a confronting statement against the backdrop of the building’s history.
WALK THE COASTLINE
The Bathers Way walking path stretches six kilometres from Nobbys Lighthouse to the foot of Glenrock State Conservation Area and takes in almost every inch of Newcastle’s coastline. Aside from sweeping ocean views, highlights include the Newcastle Memorial Walk, which was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the landing of the Anzacs on Gallipoli. It’s an excellent vantage point for whale spotting between June and November, particularly in the middle of the day when the water is least reflective. Keep an eye out for seals on Nobbys Beach and the monument to the beaching of the coal ship Pasha Bulker in 2007.