KIWIS TO NEWCASTLE: AN AUSSIE GEM JUST GOT CLOSER

Direct flights to Newcastle opens up the Hunter Valley for Kiwi foodies and adventurers looking beyond Sydney..

It has never been quicker to find yourself, glass of world-class Hunter Valley semillon in hand, watching the glowing sun set over the blue swells of the Pacific Ocean. Virgin Australia will from November fly direct from Auckland to Newcastle, a three-hour flight to one of Australia’s loveliest and most historic cities. One of the Lucky Country’s newest hotspots for astute Kiwis, Newcastle offers stunning vistas, culture and Aboriginal traditions that stretches back thousands and thousands of years. You could be sitting in one of the city’s famed seafood restaurants within a few short hours of leaving your Auckland office.

Start your short break with a leisurely sunset stroll along Newcastle’s esplanade or Merewether Beach, edging a harbour famous for surfing, and paddle in the wave-cut ocean baths in the iconic waterfront art deco pavilion. Also much loved by locals and visitors alike is Newcastle’s Bogey Hole, built by convicts for the personal use of Thomas Morisset, commandant of the penal colony that existed here a century ago. The Bogey Hole —which was cut into ocean rocks by convict labour in 1819 — is still in use today, and a must-see on a walk along Newcastle’s shining sands.

Standing watch over the esplanade is the imposing and historic Fort Scatchley, whose great guns defended the city in 1942 when the Japanese submarine I-21 fired an incredible 34 shells at Newcastle. The fort is now a must-see museum, where that military history is preserved to this day, and for a small fee you can stroll the fort’s incredible tunnels. The fort is also the spot from which to enjoy spectacular panoramic views over the blue Pacific, across the harbour and all the way to the headland, where the stillworking Nobbys Head lighthouse is a reassuring beacon to the shipping that plies the busy lanes of this bustling and important cargo port. By now you will be getting hungry so give in to the temptations of the cafes and restaurants that line the shore. Choose from Italian, contemporary Australian, French… it’s all here. But it would be a sin to go past the divine local seafood, caught fresh in the nearby ocean.

And a visit to Newcastle is not complete without a visit to the Newcastle Museum and the Newcastle Art Gallery, home to one of Australia’s finest public art collections and an outdoor sculpture garden, which is an idyllic spot for a coffee and a light refreshment.

Of course, the more adventurous types are catered for too: check out the zip-lines at the TreeTop Adventure Park or learn to surf at the Surfest Surf School.

Newcastle sits on the mouth of the Hunter River that flows from the Hunter Valley, a name synonymous with world- class semillon, shiraz and chardonnay, in a region awash with awardwinning wineries.

The Hunter is Australia’s oldest winegrowing region — it has more vineyards and wineries than any other region in Australia. Take a tour or drive yourself to a selection of the 150 in the valley, on a romantic weekend of cellar- door hopping. Taste award-winning shiraz at Tyrrell’s or sip pinot noir at Audrey Wilkinson, atop a foothill of the whimsically named Brokenback Mountain Range. Complement the wine with home-made, home-grown and home-baked gourmet food from the monthly Sunday markets at Maitland or at historic Wollombi where an astounding range of locally made cheeses, small goods, bread, jams, condiments and, of course, wine — are on offer.

The rich, fertile soils of the Valley also yield a bounty of fresh foods — served to exquisite perfection by the talented chefs at the local award-winning restaurants: try handpicked and salted citrus, and purple dragon wombok and sugar loaf cabbages grown in the Hunter River flats’ rich loam soil at Muse; sample the kitchen

Taste award-winning shiraz at Tyrrell’s or sip pinot noir at Audrey Wilkinson, atop a foothill of the whimsically named Brokenback Mountain Range.