With two Quest Apartment Hotels to choose from in Newcastle, you’re never far from the best of this city. Quest Newcastle on Hunter Street, is just blocks from the waterfront, with 65 apartments (including pet-friendly options); at Quest Newcastle West, located in the refurbished 1876 Woods Castlemaine Brewery building, guests can choose from a range of studio, one and two-bedroom apartments.
Directly next door to Quest Newcastle, The Happy Wombat is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and is the epitome of a warm welcome. Start the day with a plate of buttermilk pancakes with butterscotch and shaved chocolate, or a haloumi and egg roll; end it with a coconut panna cotta. The Little Wombats menu for kids also hits all the right notes.
Large, wood-framed shop windows peek in on the irresistible haul within Blackbird Corner, a cosy jumble of everything quirky, creative and cool on Darby Street in Cooks Hill. This retail favourite stocks plenty of homegrown riches, including clothing, cool kids toys and Newy-themed souvenirs.
A trip to Newcastle wouldn’t be complete without a dip in one of the city’s ocean baths. The ANZAC Memorial walk winds right along the coastline and connects the Merewether Ocean Baths with the Newcastle Ocean Baths, passing by the Bogey Hole pool along the way. Take your choice – or dip your toe in all three!
At Blanca, dinner comes with a Mediterranean vibe. Watermelon salad with burrata, baked saganaki with honey, and braised lamb shoulder with cacik and pilaf rice are just a few of the dishes on offer, while the restaurant’s bright, breezy decor accents the glittering water views you can catch outside.
Earp Distilling Co is the ideal place for a tasting, a blending class, a distillery tour or a night of excellent food and even better drinks. The cocktails are seasonal, the gin, rum and absinthe are housemade, and the experience will cap off your night in proper Novocastrian style.
Explore the rugged cliffs and abundant wildlife in Glenrock State Conservation Area, the last surviving pocket of coastal rainforest in the region. See the bushland through a First Nations lens with a Muurrung Marai tour – you’ll learn about the significance of the lagoon, bush tucker and native medicine, and finish the immersive experience with a yadaki/didgeridoo performance.
Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club’s Nautica Dining is just a 10-minute walk from Quest Newcastle West. Perched on the pristine waterfront, the restaurant serves up seaside favourites like seafood chowder and prawn linguine, which you can eat while you watch the sailboats bob and sway in the breeze.