A newcomer's notebook, Newcastle NSW
Arrive a
Visitor
Arrive a visitor. Leave a local.
Speculative concept created for my portfolio. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Visit Newcastle.
Before we start
This is Awabakal and Worimi Country
South of the Hunter River is Awabakal Country. North of it, including Stockton and Port Stephens, is Worimi Country. The guide uses both names for every place that has one.
Mulubinba
Newcastle
the place of sea ferns
Whibayganba
Nobbys Head
Tahlbihn
Flagstaff Hill, Fort Scratchley
Yohaaba
Port Hunter, the harbour
Coquun
Hunter River
Khanterin
Shepherds Hill
In the campaign, stories of Country would be told by Awabakal and Worimi people, paid and credited.
learn the names, say them out loud
The idea
Most locals in Newcastle arrived from somewhere else.
A 48 hour guide written by someone who did, for every tourist and new arrival.
I was one of them
two hours north
Three kinds of first day
Who it's for
Visitor 01
Weekend visitors from Sydney
Looking for a weekend that feels longer than two days.
“is it worth the drive?”
Visitor 02
International students in their first week
Looking for somewhere to be on their first Saturday.
“where do people actually go?”
Visitor 03
New migrants finding their feet
Looking for places that start to feel like theirs.
“when does it feel like home?”
The insight
New places stop feeling foreign the moment someone shows you their favourite spots.
so here are mine
a clifftop I keep going back to
Day 1
Coast to fort
- 1ANZAC Memorial Walkgo early, the light is soft
- 2Bathers Way and Nobbys breakwallWhibayganba, walk out to the lighthouse
- 3Caves Beachlow tide only, check the chart first
- 4Fort Scratchley at sunseton Tahlbihn, stay for the harbour lights
Day 2
Up to Port Stephens
- 1Port Stephens Koala Sanctuarysay hello before the heat
- 2Stockton Sand Dunes at Anna Bayin Worimi Conservation Lands
- 3Nelson Bayfish and chips on the marina wall
- 4Zenith Beach stargazingbring a blanket, stay late
Two more, from a local
Off the map
Glenrock for sunset
Find a patch of grass on the hill and watch the sun drop behind the bush.
bring a jumper, it gets cold fast
Catch the Knights, if you're lucky
On a home game night half the city heads to McDonald Jones Stadium.
wear something red or blue
The Local Passport
Ten stops, ten stamps
A fold out passport with ten stamp spaces, one per stop.
Collect them all for a free coffee at local cafes.
Wherever people arrive
Where it lives- 1
Short films
Real migrants and students, filmed on their first day.
- 2
Instagram Reels and TikTok
The 48 hours, cut into short guides worth saving.
- 3
Sydney Airport and Central Station
Posters where people land and where they board.
- 4
University welcome packs
A passport and postcard for every new student.
filmed on my phone, first few weeks
The bits in between
nobody puts these in a guide
a city you learn
by walking it
Posters, Reels and a postcard
The workTwo hours north. A whole new first day.
Arrive a Visitor
Sydney Airport
Two hours north. A whole new first day.
Arrive a Visitor
Central Station
Reel cover
Reel cover
Welcome to Newcastle
Mulubinba, place of sea ferns
welcome postcard
Why I'd run this
I arrived a visitor in 2024. These are the places that made me a local.
Tonushree
Newcastle, Mulubinba, sits on Awabakal and Worimi Country.
Back to the start, Gisou Bee Well →