About the Newcastle Region
Newcastle Campus
Our Newcastle campus is one of the most naturally beautiful campuses in Australia. Located on 140 hectares of native bushland, it is close to the city, yet provides peaceful surrounds. University House, located in the city centre, is home to the University’s Conservatorium of Music and the University of Newcastle Legal Centre.
Living in the Hunter Region
Newcastle, the seventh largest Australian city, and its surrounding regions offer a vast array of experiences, from the beauty of Lake Macquarie to hot-air ballooning over the Hunter Valley vineyards. It offers all of the usual city comforts including great restaurants, cafes, parks and gardens, sporting clubs and facilities, theatres, art galleries and shopping centres. The region also offers the benefits of excellent shopping, first class education, public and private health services, and a buoyant arts culture. It is a city of Victorian mansions and villas, a magnificent cathedral, several historic military barracks, a fort, a court house and other imposing public buildings, museums and art galleries.
The surf 's great, the pace relaxed and there's lots to do when you're not working, with many great beaches and the Hunter Valley wine region just on our doorstep.
Housing options include ocean, lake and bay water frontages, bush retreats, rural acreages, suburban dreams, inner city terraces and city/ waterfront apartments.
For a capital city vibe Sydney is a mere two hours drive away.
Education
The University of Newcastle is renowned for its medical, engineering and architecture disciplines. It has a student population of over 33,000, including students from more than 100 countries studying both on and off-shore in business, engineering, law, medicine, nursing, science, teaching and technology.
The Hunter Institute of Technology (TAFE) offers over 500 courses and annual enrolments totalling 55,000.
There are also a vast array of public and private schools in the Newcastle region including four grammar schools.
Tocal Agricultural College, near Maitland, offers agri-business related courses.
Climate
Newcastle has a mild, temperate climate all year round. Daytime temperatures average from 17oC in winter to 27oC in summer.
Arts
Fine collections are housed in art galleries across the region including Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Maitland as well as more intimate galleries such as Watt Space Gallery and John Paynter Gallery in Newcastle.
The Civic Theatre is one of Australia's great historic theatres and hosts a wide range of concerts, musicals, plays, dance and other events.
The Conservatorium of Music in Newcastle’s CBD hosts musical recitals and is home to the famous Stuart Piano (concert grand pianos built from the ground up by Stuart and Sons in the Hunter).
The Newcastle Entertainment Centre accommodates international concerts, exhibitions and conventions and can hold more than 6000 patrons.
A number of wineries in the Hunter Valley also host international acts so you enjoy a beverage while watching world class entertainment.
Hunter Valley Wine Region
The Hunter Valley wine region, within an easy hour drive from anywhere in Newcastle, is the oldest in Australia which produces many fine, world renowned wines. The predominant varietals are semillon and shiraz, with chardonnay and verdehlo from this region becoming very well known for their quality.
It has over 120 cellar doors open every day and includes both large and small wineries with most of the original families still producing.
Sport
Surfing is a high participation sport in the Hunter because of the great selection of pristine surfing beaches.
Sailing, sailboarding, canoeing and waterskiing on Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens are also popular pastimes.
The Newcastle Knights in the National Rugby League and the Newcastle Jets in the National Soccer are popular with young and old alike.
Excellent and numerous sporting facilities exist in the Hunter including Glendale Sports and Athletics Centre and the University’s Forum Sports and Aquatic Centre. There is also an enormous number of uncrowded golf, tennis, swimming, bowls and other sporting facilities.
Shopping
Major shopping centres are located throughout the region with some centres open 24 hours / 7 days a week.
Smaller precincts, such as Darby St, Newcastle, and The Junction offer alfresco dining and boutique shopping. Morpeth and Nelson Bay also offer great shopping.
Waterways
One of the major attractions of the Newcastle region is its magnificent beaches. These beaches are complemented by Lake Macquarie- the largest saltwater lake in Australia (twice the size of Sydney Harbour with a foreshore of 174 kilometres), the Hunter River which flows from the Upper Hunter region and the beautiful blue bays of Port Stephens.
Residents and visitors indulge in many water sports including dolphin and whale watching, sailing, waterskiing, surfing, fishing and swimming.
Health
The John Hunter Hospital, one of Australia’s leading teaching hospitals, is the hub of health services in the region and is only a 10-minute drive from the University’s Callaghan campus.
Hunter New England operates 42 public hospitals and health facilities.
The Calvary Mater Hospital is a two-minute drive from the University campus and there are many private hospitals in the region.
Café society
Darby Street in Cooks Hill, The Junction and Beaumont Street in Hamilton are renowned for their cafes and boutique shopping.
The wine-making areas of the Hunter Valley offer resort style accommodation, bed and breakfast accommodation, restaurants and cafes to enhance its natural resources.
All of the region’s waterfront areas attract relaxed and stylish restaurants and cafes.
Parks
Blackbutt Reserve, just 15 minutes from Newcastle’s CBD, showcases native flora and fauna in vast unspoilt bushland. Koala Encounters are held every day at 2:00pm.
Parts of the Barrington Tops National Park are world heritage listed. Activities include bush-walking, eco-tourism facilities and white-water rafting.
The Watagans is the forested mountain range separating the Hunter River catchment and the Tuggerah Lakes system. About 45 minutes drive from Newcastle, there are great camping grounds and bushwalking trails.
Heritage
Newcastle is considered to be one of the most intact Victorian-era cities in Australia. It has beautifully preserved heritage buildings, both commercial and private residences, mostly in the inner city.
Employment Choice
As a centre for health, tourism, education, environmental services, manufacturing, retail, mining, information technology, call centres, finance and insurance, the Hunter offers real employment choice.
Further Information
Newcastle City Council - www.ncc.nsw.gov.au
Lake Macquarie Council - www.lakemac.com.au
Port Stephens Council - www.portstephens.local-e.nsw.gov.au
Maitland Council - www.maitland.nsw.gov.au
Hunter Valley Wine Country - www.winecountry.com.au/
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