February 21

Wellington to Newcastle

Not much sleep so I didn't need to use either alarm. The taxi was a few minutes early and the roads were empty so I was at the airport two minutes after I should have been picked up. When it's before 04.30, that's too early! Check-in and Security went very quickly so I was in the gate lounge about ten minutes later. With five flights leaving before 07.00, the Koru Lounge was full and they wouldn't let me in. Sulk sulk!

I waited patiently, was confused when another person with my name was summoned to the desk and counted down the minutes to boarding. We took off on time, landed slightly early in Sydney and had a long taxi to a bus, which then took us to the terminal. Immigration, baggage and customs were very efficient and I was on a crowded rush hour train about 35 minutes after disembarking.

The journey to Central Station took another fifteen minutes and I was able to catch a Newcastle train an hour earlier than planned.  This was actually running fifteen minutes late so I had to wait on the platform with a few others.

I waited with a few others ...	... until one of the old trains arrived
When it did arrive, it was one of the tatty old trains. Not one on which I would choose to spend nearly three hours. We pulled out at about 09.30 and passed through the Sydney suburbs, collecting quite a few more passengers as we went. The journey wasn't particularly exciting and, as this was advertised as the express, I would hate to go on the slow stopper! We passed the Hawkesbury River, a huge expanse of water, and lots of other lakes.
	We passed through the suburbs
Over the Hawkesbury River ...	... and by some other large lakes

There were trees everywhere and, much to my surprise, they were all green. No signs of bush fires anywhere.

Eventually, after almost three hours travelling, we pulled into Newcastle Interchange. I tapped my Opal card and found that the fare for almost three hours travel was under $6!

I had assumed that it wasn't far to the hotel and this proved to be the case, about ten minutes walk, even with my bags. They had a room ready for me, so that I could change out of my travel shirt, down which I had poured some of my breakfast on the plane.

Newcastle Interchange	The Family Hotel
Basic on the inside ...	... but with good food

The room looked good but I left it quickly, crossed the road and entered the basic pub opposite. A good welcome, good food and good beer - Philter XPA. What more could I ask. Even the music was old and heavy.

The lack of sleep last night and the 04.00 wake up had left me feeling very tired. The fresh air and the lunch, however, had revived me so I resolved to walk to the rental car office to see if I could change my arrangements for the next few days.

I set off, found a few old buildings looking past their best, walked a couple of kilometres along a busy road lined with car dealerships and then an empty site where the Budget office should have been.

Some good old buildings	But a hole where Budget should have been

I asked a passing stranger who said that they had moved up the road. I resolved to return to the hotel to ring them. This was easier said than done as all the information on my rental paperwork proved to be incorrect. I eventually made contact and the man said they couldn't help, which was no help at all. I will have to stick to Plan A.

The light railway runs to the beach and a ten minute ride costs about half as much as the three hour ride on the big train here from Sydney.

The LRT is smart ...	... with an interesting power system

The "trams" were very smart and had an interesting power system. There were overhead cables at each station and a pantograph which rose to make contact with them. This obviously enabled the batteries to re-charge sufficiently to enable the vehicle to reach the next station. It was a fun ride.

Newcastle Beach. A red flag ...	... and lots of footie

The beach was quite wild. Although it was warm, there was quite a breeze and the waves came in at speed. There was a red flag warning the swimmers to stay on dry land. I had a cold drink and watched the water.

Some fine old terraces	Lots of reconstruction

The walk back to the hotel was tiring, less than three kilometres but I needed a rest. I did manage to buy some post cards, stamps and food. The latter was split between a small organic shop and a large supermarket.

I had a lot of trouble in the latter selecting muesli. Most of it seemed to be toasted and probably far too sweet for me. It is also hard to buy skimmed milk in Australia.

I rested, showered and changed, sent some emails and then crossed the road to the Mexican street food restaurant. It was heaving, with people queueing to eat. The food was quick, fresh and excellent. The wine list was also good. I had a couple of glasses and returned to the hotel for coffee.
	The restaurant was full
The food was good	They were queuing to get in