Newcastle, Austrailia

NEWCASTLE is a blue-collar town enlivened by its waterside location, and with an alternative feel provided by a big dose of surf culture and a large student community. New South Wales' second city, with a population of around a quarter of a million, it suffers from comparison with nearby Sydney but in fact it has plenty going for it, especially as it's recently had a much-needed facelift:

years of accumulated soot has been scraped off its stately buildings, riverside gardens have been created in front of the city centre, and an old wharf has been converted into a waterside entertainment venue. Heavy industry is a thing of the past in Newcastle - the production of steel here ceased in late 2000 and most of the slag heaps have been worked over - but the docks are still functional, particularly with the through traffic of coal from the Hunter Valley. However, for a former major industrial city, Newcastle is surprisingly attractive. You might not choose to spend your entire holiday here, but it can be a good base for excursions, particularly for the wineries of the nearby Hunter Valley. The surf beaches are wonderful, and there are some more sheltered sandy beaches around the rocky promontory at the mouth of the Hunter.

Newcastle was founded in 1804 for convicts too hard even for Sydney to cope with, but the river is the real reason for the city's existence. Coal was brought down it from the fields of the Hunter Valley, to be exported around the country and the world, and the proximity of the mines encouraged the establishment of other heavy industries. In more recent years Newcastle made world headlines when Australia's worst earthquake struck the area two days after Christmas in 1989, killing twelve people and destroying several buildings. Rebuilding was imaginative - for example, the use of colourful mosaics in the pavement of Beaumont Street in Hamilton, one of the hardest-hit areas

The city centre, positioned on a narrow length of land between the Hunter River to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east, has several popular and pleasantly low-key beaches close by. Newcastle Beach , only a few hundred metres from the city on Shortland Esplanade, has patrolled swimming between flags, a sandy saltwater pool perfect for children, shaded picnic tables and good surfing at its southern end. At the northern end, the beautifully painted Art Deco-style Ocean Baths (daily 6am-2pm, until 6pm in spring and 10pm in summer; closed in winter; free) houses the changing pavilions for the huge saltwater pool, which has its own diving board.

Overlooking the water north of Newcastle Beach, Fort Scratchley , built in the 1880s, houses a maritime and military museum (generally Tues-Sun noon-4pm but check on 02/4929 2588 as it's volunteer-run; free). Beyond the fort is the long, uncrowded stretch of Nobbys Beach , with a lovely old beach pavilion. A walkway leads to Nobbys Head and its nineteenth-century lighthouse.

If you follow Shortland Esplanade south from Newcastle Beach, you'll come to the huge expanse of King Edward Park, with good walking paths and cliff views over this rocky stretch of waterfront. One section of the rock ledge holds Australia's first man-made ocean pool, the Bogie Hole . Chiselled out of the rock by convicts in the early nineteenth century for the Military Commandant's personal bathing pleasure, it's still a fine spot for a swim. The cliffs are momentarily intercepted by Susan Gilmore Beach - secluded enough to indulge in some nude bathing - then further around the rocks is Bar Beach , a popular surfing spot that's floodlit at night. The longer Merewether Beach next door has a fabulous ocean baths at its southern end and a separate children's pool; overlooking the beach is the Merewether Hotel , a fine place for a drink.

Blackbutt Reserve is a large slab of bushland in the middle of Newcastle suburbia in New Lambton Heights about 10km southwest of the city (daily 9am-5pm; free); consisting of four valleys, it includes a remnant of rainforest, creeks, lakes and ponds and 20km of walking tracks to explore them. En route you'll see kangaroos, koalas, wombats, emus and other native animals in the reserve's wildlife enclosures. To get there, take the train to Kotara and walk to the Carnley Avenue entrance or take bus #216 or #217 via Kotara; for the entrances on Lookout Road you can take bus #363. As it's a little hard to find the tourist office produces a helpful free map which you might like to get a copy of first. Northwest of the city, the Wetlands Centre , Sandgate Road, Shortland (daily 9am-5pm; donation), is situated on the wetlands of Hexham Swamp by Ironbark Creek and is home to a mass of birdlife. There are walking and cycling trails here, and the more intrepid can rent canoes from tourist information. You can reach the Wetlands Centre by train from Newcastle to Sandgate, from where it's a ten-minute walk.

It's easy to get around using Newcastle's public transport system. Newcastle Bus and Ferry Services (tel 02/4961 8933) has an information booth at the west end of Hunter Street Mall on the corner of Perkins Street. Bus fares are time-based with a one-hour ticket, allowing transfers, costing $2.40; an all-day bus and ferry ticket costs $7. All tickets can be bought on board. The one ferry operating goes to Stockton, departing from Queens Wharf (Mon-Sat 5.15am-11pm or midnight, Sun 8.30am-8.30pm; $1.70 one-way). Two passenger train lines have several suburban stops, the most useful heading southwest from Newcastle Station (towards Sydney), with handy stops at Civic (for Darby St) and Hamilton (for Beaumont St), the other line runs northeast (towards Maitland). Weekly passes, combining bus and ferry ($31) or bus, ferry and train ($39) are available from selected newsagencies.