About Stockton
Although it is only five minutes from Newcastle by ferry, Stockton has a unique character and an intriguing history which is far removed from the nearby bustling steel city. Stockton’s glorious long beach which stretches 33 km to the north – all the way to Port Stephens – makes this “northern suburb” of Newcastle a superb hideaway for holidaymakers. It is a fisherman’s paradise with the Hunter River, Stockton Beach, Newcastle Harbour and deep sea fishing all being ideal fishing grounds. In many ways Stockton is a sleepy, old fashioned seaside town with a mix of 19th century cottages and elegant newer houses. The main street and shopping centre are unpretentious. The beach cafe is classy and the open parklands are ideal for relaxation and picnics. It is a hidden gem. (sourced from the Aussie Towns website – click for more).
Stockton Beach was scheduled as the last stop on the Tagalong21 itinerary and we had 3 days staying at NRMA Stockton Beach Holiday Park, right on the beach (maplink). Lovely caravan park with the largest games room/camp kitchen we had ever seen and we sure made use of the space, even after 3 caravans had previously left the group.
This was the final stop in our Tagalong21 and after 3 glorious days of sunshine we had to say goodbye to our Bailey mates as everyone either headed homeward or extended their journeys to somewhere else in our great land.
We headed north to leave our caravan with Darryl at Jabrumke to get some long awaited repairs done under the Bailey 10 year water ingress warranty.
In the meantime this is what we got up to in Stockton…
Seawall Walk
Walking straight out of the caravan park gets you to the beach and then its a short stroll to the breakwater. It was late in the day and extremely windy but the walk along shipwreck walk was worth it as the sun started to set.
Fort Scratchley
We paid a visit to the historic Fort Scratchley, which is a short walk from the centre of Newcastle (maplink), to take a “Tunnel Tour” with volunteer guide Norm. What an enjoyable hour it was with the 92 year old Norm (from Liverpool UK) sharing the history of the Fort and it’s famous tunnels with the small group of us. Norm was full of funny stories and kept us enthralled for the whole tour.
The fort was built in 1882 to defend the city against a possible Russian attack. However, its guns were not fired in anger until 8 June 1942, during the shelling of Newcastle by the Japanese submarine I-21. The Australian Army left the site in 1972.
This is truly a great place to visit, even if you don’t take the Tunnel Tour (the rest is free) and just be there at 1:00pm for the traditional afternoon canon shot.
Hunter Wetlands Centre
The Hunter Wetlands Centre is a Ramsar listed wetlands of international importance located only 10 mins (maplink) from the heart of Newcastle.
It’s an amazing story of community spirit that has rehabilitated a degraded wetlands, dumpsite and abandoned sporting fields to a site of stunning beauty and home to over 240 species of bird-life.
We took a couple of hours strolling the walking trails checking out the wildlife. It is open 7 days a week and well worth the visit.
Fighter World Air Museum
Fighter World is located just 20 mins drive north of Newcastle (maplink), adjacent to the entrance to RAAF Base Williamtown at Newcastle Airport.
It’s a totally ‘hands on’ experience. Exhibited in two hangars, we were able to walk-around and look into the cockpits of some of the Air Forces most iconic aircraft such as the first Vampire jet built in Australia and the mighty F-111C.
We were also fortunate to be there when a group of Pilatus PC-21 Training planes returned to base from an airshow down south in formation, just like the Roulettes.
Fighter World is disable friendly and open every day (except Christmas Day) 10am to 4pm.
As we were leaving Stockton on our way to Crescent Head we had to pass the airport and were lucky enough to witness two Hawk-127 Lead-In Fighter jet aircraft taking off. Merrisa took this video…
