From Stockton to Caves Beach with lots in between

Saturday morning, we woke to a gloriously sunny day, so we decided that a walk up the beach to breakfast was the go. Lexie's on the Beach is a lovely little beach-side cafe, very popular with the locals and we now know why - both of us enjoying our meals, perched up on a bench table watching the comings and goings of furry and family friends, and the waves crashing into Stockton Beach along with groups of keen open water swimmers as well as surfers.

After breakfast we walked back past the caravan park, to the breakwater on the Stockton (north) side of the shipping channel, named Oyster Bank. The walk along the breakwater is named 'Shipwreck Walk', and is a memorial that pays tribute to the many shipwrecks along that part of the coast, with one still rusting away; the barque 'Adolphe' wrecked in 1904, with all 46 people on board rescued. Sadly, crews of other wrecks were not as fortunate. The wrecks and hulks of many other iron and steel ships were incorporated into the breakwater during its construction.

From there we walked around Pirate Point to the very quaint village of Stockton. I sensed that this little place has quite a community feel. I reckon I could live there - it is enough away from the hustle of the CBD, and the roar of industry, to still have a small-town vibe, and relaxed beach-side atmosphere. During our walk, we noticed the ferry that operates between Stockton and Queen's Wharf, in the Newcastle CBD, across the shipping channel, so after dropping home a couple of things we picked up from the shops on the way, we headed back to the ferry, for a wander around the 'big smoke'.

Online, I'd found a couple of self-guided heritage walking tours, so I selected the Obelisk and Surrounds Walk, so as soon as we were off the ferry, we headed up the hill. It reminds me alot of Battery Point in Hobart - steep hills, old buildings of all sorts of heritage, from the Georgian/ colonial/ convict times, to the Victorian, Edwardian, Art Deco, Post-war and modern architectural designs - and everything in between, all squeezed in and around each other. It was fun walking around, reading out little snippets from the guide. Here are some highlights:

Gothic revival architectural style in the Christ Church on The Hill:

The view from the top of The Hill, site of the Obelisk and former site of the original reservoirs for Newcastle:

One of two lead lights (only one of them remain), that ships used to line up the two lights, to guide them into Newcastle harbour:

The Court House:

The former Customs House, now restaurant/ cafe/ beer garden:

After the official self-guided tour finished, we finished up wandering around the ocean baths, feeling the chill of the bathers who had plucked up the courage to take a dip:

After our walk, we realised that when we came off the ferry, if we had have turned left instead of right, we would have stumbled straight into a home grown and makers' market located in the former train station. They were dismantling their stalls when we finally found it. Oh, well. That saved us from ourselves, at the G-Free (gluten free) Donut stall and the Everything Gluten Free Sweets and Treats stall.

Sunday dawned to another beautiful day, so we hopped on Katie and headed south to Lake Macquarie, starting at Caves Beach on the coast about 30km south of Newcastle and the mid-point of Lake Macquarie. Caves Beach is not only a picturesque beach with caves that you can access at low tide, but also a unique little town that has easy access to both the ocean beaches as well as the beautiful Lake Macquarie ...

... then headed back north, hugging the eastern shore of Lake Macquarie, ending up at Speers Point (at the northern end of Lake Macquarie) - this time stumbling right into prime time at the Homegrown Market - so this time, we did sample the G-Free Donuts that we'd missed yesterday (I'd never had one before, and wow, wow, wow - they were the best cinnamon donuts ever!!).

To top off the wonderful Sunday ride, we called into a couple of breweries on our way home: Modus Brewing in Merewether and Thirsty Messiah Brewery in Broadmeadow. Then back home to the little village of Stockton, ready to pack up Monday morning and head down toward Sydney, to inspect our new trailer.