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Beautiful Wangi Point Circuit Track

Lake Macquarie

Wangi Point Circuit Walking Track

Located on the western shore of Lake Macquarie, the Wangi Point Circuit Walking Track is a great walk through Australian coastal bushland. This 1.8km loop takes about 45 minutes to walk, but took us longer as we took in the wonderful views over the lake. The track is well formed and easy to walk, unless you decide to take some of the offshoots. These can lead down to the lakeshore, and can be steep and rocky, but provide amazing views of the coast and waterways.

Parking

A small parking area on Reserve Road, provides a small area for a limited number of cars. No facilities are provided, so you will need to be prepared before you arrive here. A large map next to the parking area provides directions to the walks in the area and typical walking times.

Wildlife

During our walk, we saw seagulls and cormorants, but white-faced herons and white-breasted sea eagles also live in the area. Other walkers we passed said they saw a seal on one of the rocky beaches, but it was gone when we arrived.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

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Civic Park Newcastle NSW Australia

Newcastle Town Hall From Civic Park

Civic Park Newcastle

Civic Park

Civic Park is bordered by council buildings on one side and the art gallery and St Andrews Presbyterian Church on the other, while situated in the centre of the Newcastle CBD. A great place to relax, or take a casual walk around, because it’s quiet with plenty of places to sit.

Newcastle Town Hall From Civic Park
Newcastle Town Hall From Civic Park

Captain Cook Memorial Fountain

Located as the centrepiece of Civic Park is the James Cook Memorial Fountain, built for the bicentenary of Cook’s voyage and mapping of the east coast of Australia. In 1770, Lieutenant (later captain) James Cook claimed the east coast for the British Crown, naming it New South Wales. This large water feature is a great place in summer, with seats located around it, and impressive at night when illuminated.

Captain Cook Memorial Fountain Civic Park Newcastle
Captain Cook Memorial Fountain

War Memorial Grove

Developed from a community desire to honour servicemen and women killed during the world wars, the War Memorial Garden is in a corner of Civic Park, opposite the Art Gallery. Constructed from public and private funds, some of the money with some coming from families with relatives commemorated on each of the 68 plaques featured throughout the garden.

Volunteer members of the New Lambton Heights Garden Club undertook much of the work, a relationship which is continued today.

A quiet area for reflection, it’s worth wandering through to pay your respects.

War Memorial

The war memorial was originally dedicated to World War Two service personnel, but has since been re-dedicated to all wars Australia has been involved in. Ceremonies are held here throughout the year on relevant anniversaries, so there may be one happening when you visit.

Civic Park War Memorial
Civic Park War Memorial

Vietnam and National Service Memorial

The Vietnam and National Service Memorial commemorates the soldiers killed during the Vietnam War. A brass plaque on the memorial provides a brief description of Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War. The rear section of the memorial has a separate memorial to Australia’s National Service and Combined Forces personnel.

Vietnam War Memorial Civic Park Newcastle
Vietnam War Memorial

Newcastle Art Gallery

Located above Civic Park on Layman Street, the Art Gallery often hosts exhibitions throughout the year. In addition, the Gallery owns an impressive collection of Australian paintings. To read more about our visit to the Newcastle Art Gallery, click here.

Newcastle Art Gallery Entrance
Newcastle Art Gallery Entrance

Baptist Tabernacle

Located above Civic Park the Baptist Tabernacle is an interesting building but is only open to the public during services.

Baptist Tabernacle
Baptist Tabernacle

St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church

Situated across the road from the Baptist Tabernacle, St Andrews is not always open, so you may have to appreciate this building from the outside. Even if it’s closed, the building is worth admiring for its architectural value.

St Andrews Presbyterian Church
St Andrews Presbyterian Church

Old Newcastle City Administration Centre The Roundhouse

Currently undergoing a redevelopment to a five star hotel, the old Newcastle Administration Centre originally opened in 1977. The design was a collaborative effort between Architects Romberg & Boyd and Wilson & Suters. The architectural style is Brutalist, for it’s striking design.

Newcastle Council Chambers
Newcastle Council Chambers

Newcastle City Hall

Built in 1929 to house the newly created Newcastle City Council, this beautiful building is now a multi-purpose Function/Conference venue. Located opposite Civic Park on King Street, the building is an example of Inter-War Academic Classical architecture.

Shortland Centenary Fountain

Erected in 1897 by the Mayor David Miller and originally located at Newcastle Beach, this fountain commemorates the centenary (1797-1897) of the European discovery of the area by Lieutenant Shortland. Removed from its original location, it is now located at Christie Park.

Shortland Centenary Fountain
Shortland Centenary Fountain

What Did We think?

Newcastle Civic Park is a great place to visit, because of its many memorials and beautiful buildings. It’s a relaxing place to wander around, while enjoying the manicured gardens and visit the Art Gallery. When you have finished, Derby Street with its cafes and restaurants is right next door.

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To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.

Newcastle Art Gallery New South Wales Australia

The Open and Spacious Second Floor

Newcastle Art Gallery

Located in Laman Street Cooks Hill above Civic Park, the Newcastle Art Gallery contains an impressive art collection, primarily Australian artists. Limited display area restricts the number of art works on display, but a rotation ensures new works every few months.

The large sculpture of a nest and giant egg mark the entrance to the gallery, making it easy to find.

The gallery often displays special exhibits, which adds another reason to visit. During our last visit, the exhibit was Between Two Worlds, which featured works of art produced by Australian artists of Chinese heritage.

Newcastle Art Gallery Entrance
Newcastle Art Gallery Entrance

Permanent Collection

The gallery’s collection consists of over 6,500 items, covering areas of ceramics, painting, photography, prints & drawings, sculpture and video & new media. Works from colonial to the present are represented, from local, Australian and several international artists.

Between Two Worlds

This was a great exhibit to walk around, because of the variety and quality of the works. Unfortunately, it has now finished, but a new one by George Gittoes is on display until mid-April 2020.

Newcastle Art Gallery Sculpture Garden

Don’t forget to look at the sculpture garden while at the art gallery. Access is via a door near the toilets, to the left of the main entrance. With under a dozen sculptures, it is small, but still interesting and worth walking around to enjoy the displays.

New Displays in September 2020

When we re-visited in September 2020, there were new exhibits on display from the Gallery’s collection, along with this year’s Kilgour Prize entrants. We had an enjoyable time looking at the artwork.

Kilgour Prize 2020 – On Display Until November 2020

In 1987, artist Jack Kilgour bequeathed funds for the creation of a major figurative and portrait art competition to be run in perpetuity at Newcastle Art Gallery. Today, the Kilgour Prize is one of Australia’s major art prizes, and awards $50,000 for the most outstanding work of art as determined by a panel of three judges, and $5,000 for the People’s Choice Award, as determined by votes from the public.

For figurative and Portrait Painting

What Did We Think?

A great place to visit and because the exhibits change regularly, a great place to go back to. Well laid out, it offers ample opportunities for photographs.

Our photos are available for purchase on

As we do not have copyright permission for any of the artworks shown here, none of these photos are for sale. However, photos from many of our other stories can be found on Shutterstock.

To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.