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Car
The University advocates for sustainable transport options such as walking, cycling, public transport or ridesharing as it has great health, financial and environmental benefits.
However, sometimes that simply is not a choice, and we offer parking some free, some paid – where possible. Callaghan campus is a large bushland area with 19 separate carparks made up of a mix of General, Staff and mixed Reserved parking. There is also operational parking to support the wide range of commercial and operational activity that occurs across campus every day.
The University has large, all-day carparks in the periphery of campus which are serviced by shuttles to get around campus. If you're a student or staff member, we recommend using the myUni app as a way of tracking the University shuttles and supporting your cross-campus travel. Our main carparks are Carpark 1, 2, 3 and 6 near University Drive, and Carpark 14 and 16 (both are free).
Due to the high demand of most of our central campus areas, parking within the Ring Road is Reserved, Accessible or Service/Loading bays only.
Ticketed Parking
Parking at Callaghan Campus is free in Carparks 14 and 16. In all other carparks it's paid parking between 8:00am and 5:00pm, Monday to Friday. Outside of these hours, parking is free however you must adhere to carpark signage and traffic and parking rules. Unless you have a parking permit, the day rate (all-day parking fee) is $4.80. Pay-as-you-go (PAYG) is available at Carparks 9, 12, and 13 in The Forum area. Day parking can be purchased via ticket machines* on campus, or via the online payment system, CellOPark App.
For more information on accessible parking, traffic parking and rules, and parking infringements visit the parking page.
* The ticket machines accept coins but do not give change. Accepts all cards except American Express, Apple and Samsung Pay are accepted
Permit Parking
Parking permits are available for staff, students, residents and other user groups. The University has transitioned to an online parking permit management system. vPermit allows University of Newcastle staff, students, residents, and other user groups to apply for and manage their parking permit online (eligibility conditions apply). The system uses license plate recognition to replace physical parking permits.
No more stickers or paperwork – the new digital system gives users control to manage their own parking permit.
More information on permit parking
Express Zones
Express bays at Callaghan Campus are 20-minute parking bays made to make your trip to campus more convenient and stress-free. You might be grabbing a coffee, returning a library book or dropping your child into one of the childcare centres across campus.
You can park in one of our new express zones at Shortland Union (Carpark 5) and have free parking for 20 minutes. More Express Zones will be rolled out soon.
Loading Zones
To assist with quick loading and accessibility to central commercial and operational areas, we have loading zones across campus. The bays are usually restricted to a time frame of 30 minutes to allow the bay to be free for other users or emergency vehicles when required. See the Callaghan Campus Loading Zones Map for locations.
Loading Zones retain their status all hours, 7 days a week. Vehicles parked in a loading zone longer than the designated period risk a fine.
Meeting Points
Callaghan Campus is large and can be difficult to navigate if you are new to the campus or area. Across the Campus, there are nominated meeting points called Pick-up/Drop-off zones. These points are in convenient locations and can be used by Taxi, Uber and other Ride apps as well as the NRMA and family and friends.
There is also Ride App Bays, which are numbered so you can easily identify them and let your ride know where you are. The areas can be found on MazeMaps or just drop a pin and share your location on Google Maps.
Pick up/Drop off zones, and Ride App Bays are for short stay events only, the driver should not leave the car. See the Pick up/Drop off Zones Map, and Ride App Bays map for locations.
Rideshare
Ridesharing, or carpooling, is the sharing of cars between drivers and passengers to reduce the number of cars on the road and an excellent option for students and staff travelling to campus.
The University of Newcastle has partnered with Liftango*, an exclusive ridesharing app, to make your trip to and from Callaghan Campus as hassle-free as possible. Users benefit from free parking at exclusive spaces located across campus. Plus, Liftango has partnered with Pachama to offset the emissions of every trip made by drivers and passengers using their carpool technology.
* This app is available for University of Newcastle staff and students only.
Electric Vehicle Charging
The University has invested in sustainable transport by installing electric vehicle charging stations across Callaghan Campus.
Our charging infrastructure strategy is aimed at helping our community meet the challenges of transitioning to electric vehicles. As an electric vehicle-friendly campus our community can be confident the infrastructure is in place to support the vehicles’ growing popularity.
The electric vehicle charging stations we have installed are currently free to use and free to park in for a period of up to four hours. Once your car is charged or the four hours is up, please move your car so others can access the charge-stations. If you move your car to another parking bay, make sure you have a ticket or permit for it so you don't risk a fine. The charging stations are located in Carpark 4 (Opposite the Chancellery) and Carpark 6 (Opposite the Gallery). See our Parking and Transport Map for Charge Station locations.
Aligned to our sustainability commitment, the electricity used to charge vehicles on campus is provided by 100% renewable sources thanks to our sector leading electricity supply agreement with Red Energy.
Electric vehicle charging Charge station operating instructions
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.