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A festival held each year during the Labour Day long weekend in late September/early October. The Mattara festival formerly included the Mattara Hillclimb, a car race held in scenic King Edward Park. The festival features family entertainment and market stalls.
See Newcastle's Cathedral. Tour the inside and climb the tower, with a guided map.
Nobbys Island is connected to the mainland by a pier built using convict labour (completed in 1846). The pier is accessible to pedestrians, and is flanked by Nobbys Beach. It provides an excellent vantage point to take in views of the harbour and Stockton Beach across the water.
Opened in 2011, this museum is spread across three historic railway workshop buildings with permanent exhibitions on local history, the BHP steelworks and coal mining, and interactive science.
A historic site which now houses a military museum. The fort defended Newcastle in 1942 when a Japanese submarine surfaced shelling the city. Fort Scratchley has been refurbished and is open to the public, great views to the north and over the city are a highlight as is the history. Just east of the fort is Newcastle ocean baths a great place to swim and meet some local characters.
Incorporates a police museum and the John Paynter Gallery, which hosts resident artists all year round.
Well worth a visit. The gallery houses a high quality collection of works by Australian artists, and stages its own and travelling exhibitions.