Did you grow up in Newcastle, New South Wales? What if we told you that there is more to the gem of a city than meets the eye?
Below, we review 10 things you probably didn’t know about Newcastle:
1. Newcastle is the second-oldest city in Australia.
With Sydney taking the lead as the oldest established city in Australia, Newcastle takes a close second, having been founded in 1804 during the British-settlement period.
The history of this city is rich, to say the least!
2. Newcastle is the world’s port to export coal.
This city is the world’s largest coal export port.
Coal exports account for up about 90 percent of the port’s throughput, which means that the world’s best quality coal can be found in Newcastle, regardless of whether it is used for steel production or electricity generation.
3. Newcastle is home to Australia’s easiest pick-up.
Fanny’s Nightclub, which Ralph Magazine named the ‘The Easiest Place to Pick Up in Australia’ in 2005.
4. Newcastle’s baths are the southern hemisphere’s largest.
Do you frequent Merewether Baths? These ocean baths are the largest in the southern hemisphere. The width of the pool is about 100 meters, while its lanes take up about 50 meters.
5. Newcastle hosts a park on top of burial grounds.
There’s a pioneer rest park located just next to the Christ Church Cathedral, which was built above an old cemetery where at least 3,300 people were buried.
These graves were left undisturbed during the construction of the park with the help of a radar that analyzes electromagnetic frequencies.
6. Stockton sand fills Hawaii’s beaches.
Coral sand, the type that populates Hawaiian beaches, is not suitable for construction. Silica sand like that found on Newcastle’s Stockton Beach, however, is ideal for structural foundation!
In fact, the world-famous beaches of Waikiki are actually full of sand shipped across the Pacific from Stockton.
Truckloads of Stockton’s sand continued to ship to Hawaii up until about 1980.
7. The Tree of Knowledge honouredStockton Australian poet.
Once considered one of Newcastle’s most historic fig trees –as well as the oldest at about 150 years old – the Tree of Knowledge, was considered a tribute to Henry Lawson, an Australian writer and poet.
Sadly, in 2016, the tree was chopped down to make way for public transportation.
Image: Pixabay Creative Commons CC0
