Newcastle history & heritage
Newcastle has one of the richest stories on the East Coast — the Country of the Awabakal and Worimi peoples, known as Mulubinba, and later Australia's second-oldest European settlement, built on convict labour, coal and steel. That history is everywhere: in a clifftop fort that fired on a submarine, a moving memorial to soldiers and steelworkers, and grand heritage buildings now home to museums and galleries. Here's how to explore it.
Fort Scratchley & its tunnels
Standing guard above Nobbys, Fort Scratchley is Newcastle's most compelling heritage site — a coastal defence fort that famously returned fire during a Japanese submarine attack in 1942. Today its grounds are free to explore for the views, and volunteer-led guided site and tunnel tours take you underground into the gun emplacements and passages (it's usually closed Tuesdays; check the day's tour times on arrival). It's history you can walk through.
The ANZAC Memorial Walk
On the clifftops between Bar Beach and Strzelecki Lookout, the ANZAC Memorial Walk is one of Newcastle's most striking sights — a 450 m walk whose 160 m steel bridge is lined with silhouettes of WWI soldiers, honouring both the ANZAC centenary and the region's proud steel-making heritage. The views up and down the coast are superb (and great for whale-spotting in season), making it a highlight of any visit and of the Bathers Way.
The museums & the East End
Round out the story indoors. The free Newcastle Museum at Honeysuckle tells the city's Aboriginal, convict and steel-making history (its Fire & Earth BHP exhibit is a standout), while the Newcastle Art Gallery reopened in 2026 after a major expansion. Then wander the East End heritage streets, the grand Christ Church Cathedral on its hill, and Queens Wharf — a compact, walkable tour through a city that has reinvented itself with real character.
History & heritage: your questions
Yes. Fort Scratchley, the coastal fort above Nobbys, is open to the public most days (typically closed Tuesdays), with free access to the grounds and views. The Fort Scratchley Historical Society runs guided site and tunnel tours for a small fee — the underground tunnels are a highlight. Confirm the day's tour times when you arrive, as they vary seasonally.
Yes — Fort Scratchley is famous as one of the few Australian forts to have returned fire in wartime. During a Japanese submarine attack on Newcastle in June 1942, the fort's guns fired back at the submarine shelling the city. That history, along with its tunnels and gun emplacements, is what makes a visit (and a tunnel tour) so memorable.
The ANZAC Memorial Walk is a 450 m clifftop walk whose centrepiece is a 160 m steel bridge lined with silhouettes of WWI soldiers, honouring both the ANZAC centenary and the Hunter region's steelworkers. Opened in 2015, it offers sweeping coastal views and forms part of the Bathers Way. It's free, moving and one of Newcastle's signature sights.
Yes — the Newcastle Art Gallery reopened in early 2026 after a major expansion that roughly doubled its size, with many more galleries and a strong permanent collection. Together with the free Newcastle Museum at Honeysuckle, it gives the city two excellent, largely free cultural attractions — perfect for a rainy day or an afternoon off the beach.
Newcastle is Australia's second-oldest European settlement, founded as a convict outpost in the early 1800s and built on coal — it became one of the world's great coal ports and a major steel-making city. Its Aboriginal history runs far deeper: the area, known as Mulubinba, is the Country of the Awabakal and Worimi peoples. That layered past is visible across the city's forts, heritage streets and museums.