Newcastle was much like Port Macquarie in that I didn’t spend much time there but had a fantastic run. The drive wasn’t long to get here so I had most of the day to wander and see what the place was like. The hostel was fantastic. A restored heritage building, it had high ceilings, big open fireplaces and lots of plush leather furniture. Although the fireplaces were gas it gave a nice cozy feel. The rooms were spacious and ours had an opening onto a deck with a fabulous view into the other side of the building through the courtyard. The only strange thing was the kitchen in the basement had an underground feel to it.After a little orientation and parking the car where it wouldn’t get towed, I got out the running gear and hit the pavement. I’m not a huge fan of running around in cities but sometimes a few blocks are required to get to the pretty spots. At last I hit the seawall and cruised along to the point of the harbour in front of Fort Scratchley. I continued around the coast to the ocean baths and another old war bunker. In that same park I could help but laugh at the kids as they tumbled down the hill when their cardboard sleds stopped dead in it’s tracks.The day was warm and being the genius I am was around running during the hottest time. There were a few fountains along the paths I found but not nearly enough. By the time I got back to the hostel I could drink a lake but could only find the smallest cup in existence. I threw back numerous glasses of that so I could breathe properly and hit the showers.Not really wanting to cook and curious about the local bars, I signed up for a free sausage dinner through the hostel. Free doesn’t get you much these days. We had to play Bingo for a bit before we got into our 5 course meal of sausages and pieces of white bread. I won an hour of free internet! Everyone did though.[gmap]