Road Trippin'. Newcastle.

I've come back from the road trip to Newcastle a convert to the cause of hitting the wide open roads for a long weekend of driving.

Driving along the Pacific Highway was much less of a stress than I thought it would be.  The roads were well maintained, everything was clearly sign posted and the police presence kept everyone on their toes with regard to speeds, the covering of trailers and remembering to rest and revive.

It was very calming driving along endless, almost empty roads that cut through mountains, wandered over water and wound through national parks.  Maintaining the legal speed limit of between 80 - 110 km/h added to the fun.

Newcastle City Hall

Newcastle is around 2 hours out of Sydney and the weather was glorious when we arrived.  It is famous for many things - beaches, Silverchair, shipping, mining and really friendly locals.  It's Lanelle of Luscious Llama's home town.  Sorry, Lanelle - I think we're 'sharing' blog post titles (Road Trippin') a little today.

The historic buildings created the most amazing skyline and I almost got run over a couple of times as I snapped away.

I found this really cute Kate Spade iPhone cover at the Apple Store in Chatswood.  The lovely young man at the counter put it on for me.  We got screen protectors put on by a lovely young lady at a nearby phone accessory store.  Thank you both!

But, first things first.  We were starving.  H and I downed our matching new iPhones and our sunnies and wolfed down lunch at Bogie's Cafe.

A massive hamburger with egg and beetroot.

Driving makes me hungry.  I finished my whole salad in a couple of minutes and instantly felt better.  It hit the spot and H really loved his burger.  Highly recommended.

Chicken Caesar Salad.

We had lots of things to do so I didn't get to sight see much.  I missed out on taking photos of the ships in  the harbour or exploring Honeysuckle.  Next time.

I did get to the city centre.

Newcastle Court House

Besides preserving the past, there is also a strong presence of more contemporary art in Newcastle.  The apartments we stayed in were in the centre of museums and theatres.

The beach! We couldn't drive all this way without getting to the beach!

There are at least 4 major beaches along the coast and they are all beautiful.  There is very limited development along the beaches and this really helps preserve both the environment and the joy of being at the beach to just swim, surf or be at one with nature.  Being on the beach in Newcastle really feels like being on the beach.  There are no high rises and no out of control crowds.  Just crystal clear water and soft golden sand.  And good food and coffee a short walk away if you want it.

It was so relaxing spending even just one day outside of Sydney at the beach in Newcastle.  I can't believe my week of is just about over and that I'm back at work tomorrow.