Newcastle

Newcastle is at the mouth of the Hunter River, approximately 150 km north of Sydney in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia. The second largest city in the state of NSW and sixth largest of Australia, Newcastle city had an population of 137,000 in 2001 and the suburban area had over 500,000. The city is the focal point for a diverse district that encompasses beaches and mountains, restaurants and wineries.

Newcastle is a 2 hr drive north of Sydney on the F3 freeway which starts at Wahroonga (close to Hornsby) on the North Shore. The freeway is in excellent condition and driving is normally not difficult. However, as a large number of people commute to Sydney daily from the Central Coast and even Newcastle, travellers driving north during the evening peak (5PM to 7PM) will encounter heavy traffic between Wahroonga and the Central Coast with traffic easing off as you travel north the reverse applies to south bound traffic during the morning commute.

The F3 is on the Western side of Lake Macquarie. If you want to travel up the Eastern side of Lake Macquarie (which travels through Swansea) then take the "Charlestown" exit on the F3. This route is more scenic, more hilly, and less congested (though it takes a few minutes longer). If you follow this route you will eventually come to the "Charlestown Bypass" at Bennett's Green which you can take if you wish to head north-west (towards Lambton). Otherwise keep following the main road until you reach Charlestown and then follow the signs to the city.

Traffic during holiday periods and long weekends is also affected with heavy northbound traffic at the beggining of the period as Sydneysiders flee the city for the weekend and finally heavy southbound traffic as they return.