Random Sights Around Newcastle

Our favorite bottle shop

One of the local art galleries - wooden blocks that simulate waves


The Hunter Mall - it's pretty dead on a Sunday afternoon

One of the few non-destructive pieces of graffiti

Picture of Che outside the Newcastle Resistance Center

The most rundown block on Hunter Street

Continuing the theme of political incorrectness

Newcastle Harbour

Very large coal ship

Home of the best meat pies in Australia

Palm trees

Sunday was the first sunny, cloudless day we've had in quite a while in Newcastle - but thanks to the 50+ mph winds, it wasn't exactly beachworthy. So we decided to take a walk around the city and snap some pics instead to get out of the apartment. A couple of things that really stood out:

1) The Hunter St mall is in serious need of a makeover. The "mall" concept (closing off several city blocks to traffic and giving it an open courtyard layout) originated in the U.S. in the 70's and came to Australia in the 80's. This shopping/dining layout has since failed miserably in the U.S., and cities across Australia are slowly discovering the same fate. With the proliferation of suburban shopping centers, people don't come into the city as much to shop. It's worsened by the fact that:

a. Parking is scarce downtown. People don't want to park and walk 8 blocks to go window shopping.

b. At 5pm daily, the mall becomes a ghost town (even if shops are open late); and at night, it's not a safe place to walk through (b/c police presence is low and b/c no traffic flows through, there are no crime deterrents).

c. The rail line cuts downtown Newcastle in half.

Luckily, the local govt here has wised up and are listening to citizens concerns. For the first time in 25 years, they are opening Hunter St. mall back up to traffic. And since many tenants have moved out of the central business district, they are keeping vacancy low by giving unoccupied shops to local artists to display and sell their work (absolutely brilliant concept, and it's done wonders in the two months since its inception). However, problem (c) still remains unresolved.

The pictures we took show the large disparity between the Hunter St. business district and the Newcastle Harbour, which sit one block apart - and are cut in two by the commuter rail line. While $$$ continues to be piped into the thriving waterfront district (which was once an industrial area, and has since been replaced with condos, shops, restaurants and bars), the Hunter St. area tries to keep its head above water. Every other block along Hunter is full of crumbling, condemned buildings covered with graffiti - and investors are lined up, willing to inject over half a billions dollars into the economy. So what's the holdup?

While we both think it's pretty unique that the commuter rail service runs right into the heart of the city, just one block from the beach, it also creates a disconnect that separates the two business areas (there are only 3 locations to walk over the rail line). The investors want to cut the rail line a half a mile west of where it currently ends, and replace that portion of the rail with a free commuter bus system along Hunter. But yet, local govt (roundly criticized as being completely inept by the local and national media) refuses to budge. Hopefully they pull their heads out of the sand (or wherever they are lodged) and compromise, b/c anyone who is going to turn down $500 million in private investment (in this economy) is quailfied to run the Oakland Raiders.