Newcastle

Newcastle (everything Aussie has British names—cities, states, and roads, you name it) is a quaint, waterfront town with not much to do. Our YHA hostel looked exactly like an English boarding school—complete with dark wood, large leather sofas and high ceilings. The staff there arranged four free dinners a week at either one of two town pubs. We enjoyed a free BBQ and trivia night at The Brewery. Our team’s name was “You think you can fight? You should see my sisters box!” (we did not think of this) and we won a $25 bar tab for coming in first place. We saw Harry Potter so all is right with the world. The next night we went to a local fire show, which was a quick flashback to Carrboro because tons of hippies were twirling around fire in the middle of the city park. You could see Weaver Street in the background if you looked hard enough. The highlight of the weekend involved a box of goon, which we learned helps you make friends. It’s also Aussie for “good time”. Like we said, the city is pretty uneventful. The main street could be covered in a few hundred steps, but it’s a great place to meet lots of people because it’s a common stop for travelers going up the coast from Sydney or settling in to study abroad. A nice rest before we hit the big city.