Good morning, welcome back to the Newcastle Digest.

There’s plenty happening across the region at the moment, and as always, we’ve pulled together the stories, events, and local finds worth your time.

Sukimama is a name locals may have been hearing for a while. We first visited them a couple of years ago when they were located at the Merewether Surf Club, and knew we eventually had to try the new location in Hamilton.

We visited a few weeks ago on a sweltering day, so unfortunately, there was minimal shade in the laneway where Sukimama’s ‘hole in the wall-esque’ takeaway space resides. As there was minimal seating in the shade, we chose to take away. Unfortunately, our goods did not make it home, as they were devoured in the car's air conditioning.

We sampled their famous prawn toast, a refreshing (but perfectly tart) homemade lemonade, and the mandu dumplings. We found that the prawn toast lived up to the hype, and even though it was a little pricey, they were worth it. Although the mandu dumplings were nice, we found that other local dumplings were more to our taste, but still worth trying and enjoying.

📍99B Maitland Rd, Islington NSW 2296

Tiny Moves Classes – New Lambton & Adamstown | From 5 February (weekly)

Tiny Moves is creating a safe, nurturing space for children aged 8 months to 4.5 years to explore, express themselves, and build confidence through movement and play. Whether it’s dancing, singing, joining in games, or simply observing new friends, there’s no right or wrong way for little ones to take part, just plenty of opportunities to learn, develop, and have fun.

Designed for children who haven’t yet started childcare or preschool, as well as those who benefit from extra movement, music, and social connection, each class focuses on supporting early development in an engaging and supportive environment. With small, intimate class sizes, children naturally build social skills, fine and gross motor skills, rhythm, and early literacy and numeracy, all while enjoying themselves so much they don’t even realise they’re learning.

Activities include musical instruments and rhythm play, singing and dancing, storytime, obstacle courses, and gentle mindfulness exercises.

Class Locations:
Toddler Twirls & Mini Movers (Thursdays from 5 February) – New Lambton Uniting Church, 48 Regent St, New Lambton
Little Feet (Fridays from 6 February) – Adamstown Uniting Church, 228 Brunker Rd, Adamstown

Tiny Moves classes run weekly across a range of times, days, and venues.

Follow along for further details at www.tinymoves.com.au or on Instagram @hellotinymoves.

Ocean of Stories from Down Under - Newcastle City Library | Until March
Discover the art of five award-winning Australian illustrators, Cindy Lane, Sami Bayly, Matt Ottley, Jenni Goodwin and Kim Mischelle Toft and get hands-on with sensory materials and activities for children and be inspired by the art and stories of our precious oceans. More info.

Newcastle’s Lost World Exhibition – Newcastle Museum | Runs until 15 February
Discover the story of the vanished World Pool at Newcastle’s Canoe Pool. This exhibition explores the history, mystery and imagination surrounding the once-beloved children’s pool built in 1937 and its lasting place in Newcastle’s collective memory. More info.

Music in the Podium – Warners Bay Foreshore | 6 February 6pm – 9pm
Free Friday night live music featuring popular local musicians on the foreshore. More info.

Friday Chill – Pacific Park, Newcastle East | 6 February 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Free family-friendly live music series with local artists, food trucks and picnic vibes. More info.

Girls Day Out: Women in Sport – Foreshore Park & Nobbys Beach | 7 February 8am – 3pm
High-energy mini-clinics introducing girls aged 5–16 to local sports, including all-abilities sessions. Tickets from $6.61 per sport. More info.

Laneway Warmup Party – The Exchange, Hamilton | 6 February from 8pm
Kick off Laneway weekend early with two levels of DJs, free entry, drink specials and no lockout. More info.

Coffee and Claytime Workshop – Grounded By Designs, Carrington | 7, 14, 19, 22 & 28 February 10am – 12:30pm
Slow down with a coffee and create your own hand-built pottery in a calm, guided workshop. More info.

Rodeo Round-Up – Shoal Bay Country Club, Shoal Bay | 7 February
Country night with live music, DJs till late and free entry.

LOOKOUT: OneRepublic – Speers Point Park, Lake Macquarie | 7 February
OneRepublic headline LOOKOUT as part of The Sweet Escape Tour, joined by Birds of Tokyo, Eskimo Joe, Sneaky Sound System and Zara Larsson. More info.

Retro Rewind 80s Party – The Exchange, Hamilton | 7 February
Decades Month kicks off with an 80s throwback party packed with nostalgia and big hits. More info.

Melinda Schneider: The Tender Tour – Flamingos Live, Lambton | 8 February
Golden Guitar winner Melinda Schneider performs songs from her new album Tender alongside fan favourites. More info.

Gin High Tea with Three Cuts Gin – Bartholomew’s, Newcastle | 8 February 1pm – 4pm
Decadent high tea paired with Three Cuts Gin and a menu designed to highlight each botanical. More info.

Sunday Session with The Specialties Band – Bartholomew’s, Newcastle | 8 February 4pm – 7pm
Live afternoon session blending blues, jazz, country-funk and soul.

Super Bowl LX – The Exchange, Hamilton | 9 February from 10am
Newcastle’s biggest Super Bowl party with the game live on the big screen, American food specials and giveaways.

Super Bowl LX – Shoal Bay Country Club, Shoal Bay | 9 February from 10:30am
Watch the Super Bowl live and loud with American food specials and game-day atmosphere.

FREE Safe City Cycling Class – Tighes Hill TAFE | 8 February 10am – 1pm
Learn essential skills for safe and confident city cycling. Free, registration required.

Hat Burning Workshop – The Owens Collective, Islington | 6 – 8 February
A guided hat-burning experience focused on self-expression, choice and creative release. More info.

ONE Apartments Welcome Party – Newcastle West | 7 February 10am – 4pm
Free community celebration with live music, food vendors, family entertainment and guided tours of ONE Apartments. More info.

20th Century Everyday Objects – Miss Porter’s House Museum, Newcastle West | 8 February 1pm – 4pm
Step inside an Edwardian home and explore everyday household objects from the early to mid-1900s. Cost: Adults $12, Concession $10, Family $34.

Olive Tree Market – Civic Park, Newcastle | 7 February 9am – 2pm
First Olive Tree Market of 2026 featuring handmade goods, food, live music and local makers.

Morisset Markets – Morisset Showground | 7 February 9am – 2pm
Family-friendly market featuring street food, handmade stalls, live music and local vendors. More info.

Pelican Foreshore Markets - Lakeview Parade, Pelican | 7 February 9am - 1pm
Local market stalls, live music, food trucks and kids entertainment.

Homegrown Markets – Harold Gregson Park, Maitland | 8 February 9am – 1pm
Handmade, design and gourmet stalls with street food, live music and kids activities. More info.

Newcastle City Farmers Markets – Broadmeadow Showground, Griffiths Rd, Broadmeadow | 1 February
Shop direct from local farmers and makers in a classic community farmers market.

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When Lieutenant Shortland entered the Hunter River estuary in 1797, he noted a "very fine coal river" - and coal would dictate how Europeans used this land for the next century.

By 1801, Governor King established a convict settlement specifically to extract resources. Convicts weren't just miners; they worked as woodcutters and lime-burners, stripping the landscape for colonial industry. The settlement, initially called Kingston, was relocated in 1804 to house Irish rebels from Castle Hill. Its isolation from Sydney made it ideal for punishment, not prosperity.

Everything changed in 1823 when the convicts were removed and Newcastle became a free settlement. Suddenly, land use shifted dramatically. Settlers flooded into the surrounding hinterland for agriculture while the town itself transformed into a commercial centre. Surveyor Henry Dangar laid out a grid with a central Market Place - urban planning replacing penal infrastructure.

The town's commercial heart developed along Hunter Street, though slowly. In 1857, it was still just a sand bed where bullock teams hauled goods. The few businesses - butchers, the Woolpack Inn, ironmongers - clung to the unstable terrain. Bishop Tyrrell leased much of the land around Honeysuckle Point until the Railway Company drove lessees out, repurposing it for transportation infrastructure.

By the mid-1800s, Newcastle had evolved into a major shipping and commercial centre, the land now serving trade rather than punishment. Coal pits dotted Church Street and the Hill. The market reserve bustled with activity.

The most dramatic transformation came in 1915 when BHP established its steelworks. Agricultural hinterland and commercial shipping town became industrial powerhouse. The land that once held convict camps now held blast furnaces - European land use in Newcastle had come full circle, returning to resource extraction, but on an unprecedented scale.

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