The MV Cape Don is a former lighthouse tender built by the State Dockyard at Newcastle, New South Wales in 1962. It is now a museum ship at the former coal loading wharf in Balls Head Bay New South Wales, Australia.
Tag: NSW
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Cape Don
MV Cape Don 
MV Cape Don 
MV Cape Don 
MV Cape Don 
MV Cape Don 
MV Cape Don 
MV Baragoola (right) MV Cape Don (left) -
Dark Stories True Crime Tour Newcastle
The Dark Stories True Crime Tour is a great way to spend a Saturday evening discovering some of the darker aspects of Newcastle’s past. The meeting point is easy to find being centrally located, at the corner of Scott and Watt street near Customs House. We parked close by at the foreshore car park and then walked the short distance to the meeting point.
Sara our tour guide for the night was very enthusiastic for the whole 90 minutes of the tour. We followed her around Newcastle’s streets, past the beach and through a cemetery. We were told about many crimes and their locations. Several were amusing but most were an eye opener to the past history of Newcastle.
Fig Tree at Night Dark Stories True Crime Tour took through familiar places we had not visited at night, like Christ Church Cathedral and the Old Newcastle Hospital (now and apartment block). We also went to some back alleys we had never seen and found some interesting street art as a bonus.
Old Newcastle Hospital 
Christchurch Cathedral At Night 
Christchurch Cathedral Cemetery At Night We had a small group of five but the maximum group size is limited to twelve people. This ensures that you will not get pushed to the back of the group and not hear the stories. A great evening out that was interesting and fun for the whole 90 minutes.
Street Art 
Street Art To see what else there is to do in the Hunter Valley, please see some of our other stories.
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Hunter Valley Zoo
Getting There
The Hunter Valley Zoo is located in the vineyards near Cessnock New South Wales. There is a small car park near the entrance as well as parking on the road outside.
Although a small zoo, it has a wide range of animals ranging from native Australian to lions, cheetahs, meerkats birds and reptiles. If you are local or an international visitor it’s a fantastic place to visit.
The staff were all friendly helpful, letting us know what was available to see and when various displays were happening. A map of the zoo is included in the entry fee, to help find your way around.
Food
There is a good variety of food and drinks available inside the admission building. A spacious grassed area is available for visitors to use, and has a free gas BBQ. Families are encouraged to being eskies and have a picnic in this outside area.
Feeding the Animals at Hunter Valley Zoo
The admission building sells animal food so that kids and adults can feed animals. Staff will tell you which animals can be fed, but generally it was any enclosures that you could enter.
There is a petting zoo where visitors can get up close to some animals and feed and pat them. Animals here ranged from kangaroos and deer to farm animals.
Getting Around the Zoo
All tracks at the Hunter Valley Zoo are dirt and grass and constructed to make them wheel chair friendly. As it’s not very big, getting around is very easy.
All enclosures have steps for the kids to stand on to see animals better. This is a great idea, even for shorter adults.
During the day there are scheduled shows for different animals. These are great as they give an inside into the animals and there needs.
Koala 
Cheetah 
Lion 
Ostrich 
Albino Kangaroo Animal Encounters
The zoo offers encounters with the meerkats and some of the smaller monkeys. For a fee, you get access to the enclosure with a guide for twenty minutes. Participation is limited to groups of four. We went into the meerkat enclosure and had a great time. They climbed all over us, ate from our hands and even perched on top of our heads. If you can afford it, we highly recommend the experience.
Meerkat Encounter 
A Meerkat on Lookout Duty Other Facilities
The toilets were clean with disabled access and change tables.
There is a good souvenir shop near the entrance.
The zoo is busier in school holidays as families take the opportunity to visit with their children.
To see what else there is to do in the Hunter Valley, please see some of our other stories.
