Flying solo - Newcastle

Newcastle - Shortland Esplanade

I hopped on the train from Sydney Central station at 11am and arrived around two hours later in Newcastle. Having not pre-booked a hostel for the night, my first challenge was to make sense of the small map in my Lonely Planet and find one. This was certainly my first experience as a real backpacker (as opposed to the rubber tramping Luke and I are accustomed to!). Arriving somewhere entirely new, on my own, hungry (2pm and no lunch), homeless and carrying my weight in belongings, I was thrilled. And this is no sarcastic witticism, I was genuinely ecstatic. I won't lie however, my happiness was certainly heightened upon finding a Subway...

After ravenously scoffing my sarnie I walked purposely and without direction toward the hostel/ hotel neighbourhood, confident of my chances. I checked for my first time at a YHA and was very pleasantly surprised, despite my father's constant advice on the benefits of being a YHA member... Ever learning the hard way (cue dad's eye roll).
I walked along the Shortland esplanade and up a steep and winding path to Stzelecki scenic lookout. The views of Newcastle from up here are outstanding. I missed Luke and wished he was there to share it with me but the vista is truly euphoric so the missing part may have been somewhat short lived - sorry Luca. Love you!
 At the lookout point I spotted a congregation of skydivers and their equipment. Whilst their general vibe was somewhat disappointed due to the blatant lack of wind, we still chatted enthusiastically about Bill Moyes, who I had met a week prior (see my previous post Flying solo - Bondi). I'm sure when traveling you have these bizarre and seemingly remarkable re-acquaintances because you're looking out for them, that is, you're exposed to so many more people and different experiences than you would be in every day 'routine', that you have much greater chance of encountering the same people again. That, and much more time on your hands to look out for them. I stayed in a girls dorm for the first time in Newcastle and discovered the social side of solo travel. It's much easier to spark a conversation with someone when you're on your own. It's also crucial you do otherwise you could find yourself feeling a little too solitary.

On Tuesday morning I walked up to Nobby's Lighthouse and took pictures of the contrasting views of Newcastle. From Nobby's you can see a certain Brightonesqness* of the foreshore to your left and the industrial coal mining precinct to your right, broken up by some serene park land and a little city centre in the middle.

I spent the rest of the morning speed-walking the city and looking around the Art Gallery where I stumbled upon a great painting by Brett Whiteley called 'Summer at Carcoar'.
After eating a rushed lunch I got on my ContryLink train, destination Port Macquarie, a mere 5 hour trip ahead of me. Fortunately I was sat next to a dairy farmer who maintained a steady manipulation of air waves, for most of the duration. Now insert sarcastic witticism - I feel as if I have been truly educated on the process of milking cows. I was pretty surprised to hear that dairy cows produce between 30-35 liters of milk a day. Tell that to all those marathon runners complaining about nipple chaffage...
When my new dairy farming companions left at their stop, I was then nicely rewarded with the honor of entertaining two young children who had taken to throwing paper cups around the carriage (5 hours for a kid must be an eternity!). My remaining hour went by in a flash of 'eye-spies', 'name an aminal** starting with the letter...' and 'try to decipher this modern-contemporary art drawing without offending' challenges.

*complete with fish n' chips and ice cream parlors but with the wonderful addition of the Ocean Baths, white sand, surfers and most importantly, SUNSHINE.
**miss-type intended, bless 'em