Good morning, Newcastle! Welcome back to the Newcastle Digest.

Thank you to all who voted in last week's poll. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of interest. I have a couple of new community-based segments this week. Please feel free to join in.

Have a great week.

Table of Contents

• Eats

• Live Music

• Events

• Miscellaneous

New quest?

OGs would remember the first Newcastle Digest food quest I did, the burger quest. I am considering bringing back another beloved food item, the chicken schnitzel. Last time, I’ll be honest, we did not get much buy-in with responses, only about 8 burgers submitted.

Hopefully, we can get a few more this time. 

I am also thinking of cross-posting this to Instagram so we can capture some video of the reviews.

Openings

Antojitos Mayfield

Great news for Mexican food lovers! Antojitos has officially opened its new Mayfield location. Keep an eye out for their distinctive 'Si!! Real Tortillas' sign on Maitland Road.

Islington Barracks Hotel

The team responsible for The Grand Hotel and Lambton Park Hotel have revitalised Islington's Newcastle Hotel, bringing back its historic name: the Islington Barracks Hotel.

Newy Fried Chicken Takeout Kitchen

To handle their soaring popularity, Newy Fried Chicken, a Newcastle favourite, has launched a new takeout kitchen. It's conveniently located just 50 meters down the road from their original Broadmeadow spot at 10 Cameron Street.

Newcastle trivia

Event update

Wow, thank you to all who voted in last week’s poll. I was shocked by the results, with over 93% of people responding that they would be interested. 

Now here’s the hard part: deciding what to do. I have a few ideas and am currently reaching out to venues. I will have an update for you next week, hopefully.

Friday 11 July

Saturday 12 July

Sunday 13 July

Families

Monster Jump – Griffith Park, Stockton | 5 – 20 July
Get ready to bounce in the July school holidays. Monster Jump returns to Griffith Park, Stockton in Newcastle from Saturday 5 – Sunday 20 July 2025 for an unforgettable school holiday adventure! The Monster Jump is the newest inflatable obstacle course to hit Australia, suitable for everyone from children to adults! With sliding, climbing, bouncing, and more, this mobile inflatable obstacle course offers a whopping 280 meters of continuous fun! More info.

Port Stephens Winter Festival – Nelson Bay, Port Stephens | 12 – 20 July
Visit Port Stephens for their annual Winter Festival. Enjoy nine packed days of family activities—including a winter ice rink, baby animal nursery, food and festival fun—plus foodie events like the Port Stephens Car Show, Human Whale parade and Taster’s Trails. More info.

Stroud Brick Throwing & Rolling Pin Competition – Stroud Showground | 12 July
Each year, Stroud Showground comes alive with market and food stalls, activities and entertainment for the whole family. Sign up to throw a brick, hurl a rolling pin or fling a rubber chook in this annual test of skill and strength. Kids’ entertainment includes face painting, tug-of-war and a street parade. More info.

My Kids Market – Newcastle Showground Exhibition Centre | 13 July
Head to My Kids Market to purchase gently used pre-loved baby and kids’ items. Attracting parents, grandparents and parents-to-be, it’s the perfect place to find quality goods without breaking the budget. More info.

ART PLAY for the whole family at MAP mima – Multi-Arts Pavilion, mima, 96 Creek Reserve Rd, Speers Point | 13 July
If you’re a young family, enjoy a free art program: a quick tour of the current exhibition followed by a different art activity each month. More info.

School Holiday Special Outdoor Laser Tag – Salt Ash Bush Battlefield | 15 July | 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
SCHOOL HOLIDAY SPECIAL at BATTLEZONE! Looking for something EPIC to do with the kids these school holidays? Get them off the screens and into the bush battlefield at Salt Ash for a laser tag adventure they’ll never forget!
🕹 90 minutes of real-life action
👧 Designed for kids 12 & under
💲 Only $30 per player (normally $49!). More info.

Adults

CLAY PLAY – NAIDOC Week school holiday workshops – Museum of Art and Culture, yapang (MAC yapang), 2A First St, Booragul | 9–10 July
In these NAIDOC week workshops, kids aged 10+ will create storytelling artworks with air-dried clay, including a wall mask and a personal pendant. More info.

Ink & Drink – The Great Northern Hotel, 83–89 Scott St, Newcastle | 11–13 July
Paint and sip with a tattoo twist. Learn the art of tattooing on synthetic vegan skin using real tattoo ink and a machine, led by a professional tattoo artist, over a two-hour session while you sip a drink. Limited spots available!
Cost: $89

Jimeoin – Pandemonium – Civic Theatre, 375 Hunter St, Newcastle | 11 July
Direct from a sell-out season at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, don’t miss Jimeoin’s hilarious new show Pandemonium. More info.

Little Millard’s Coffee Van 4th Birthday – Cardiff South Shopping Village, 11 Fertrude St, Cardiff South | 12 July
Little Millard’s 4th birthday celebrations: free giveaways, live music, face painting, pop-up flower stand from a local florist, free birthday treats for puppies and humans.

High Tea on the Harbour – A luxury cruise – Queens Wharf Ferry Terminal, Wharf Rd, Newcastle | 12 July
Exquisite high tea with a selection of teas, gourmet pastries and savoury treats. Free tastings of premium gins, vodka and Limoncello by Wildstreak Distillery. A relaxing, picturesque cruise around Newcastle Harbour. More info.

MAC yapang exhibition closing event – Museum of Art and Culture, yapang (MAC yapang), 2A First St, Booragul | 12 July
A special celebration for exhibitions From Within the Coal House by Emma Florence May and Re-Dobell: A Community Re-imagining of Dobell and Self at MAC yapang. More info.

Mid Winter Festival – The Farmer’s Wife Distillery, 1378 The Bucketts Way, Allworth | 12 July | 2 pm–10 pm
The Farmer’s Wife Distillery invite you to their Mid Winter Festival full of live music, good food and gin cocktails. More info.

Sprout & Thread Pop up flea market: Mini & Me – The PT Collective, 3/10 Innovation Cl, Taylors Beach | 12–13 July
Pre-Loved sale, quality brands at excellent prices, Mini & Me activities and coffee. More info.

Hunter Valley Wine & Beer Festival – Rydges Resort Hunter Valley, Haven Lawn & Conference & Events Centre | 12 July | 11 am – 5 pm
The 13th annual Hunter Valley Wine & Beer Festival will bring together the best of Hunter Valley’s local produce, superb wine, distilleries and boutique beer coupled with great entertainment. Be a part of this event to celebrate all of the indulging gourmet delights this region has to offer. More info.

Extreme Tenant – Civic Theatre, 375 Hunter St, Newcastle | 13 July
Hilarious comedian Chris Ryan presents her new show Extreme Tenant as part of the Newcastle Comedy Festival. More info.

Country Music Night – Kahibah Sports Club | 12 July | Doors 8 pm; live band 8:30 pm – 11:30 pm
Saddle up for a wild one! Live band, bucking bull from 8:30 pm, $12 cocktails, $8 bubbles, $10 Billson’s, $8.50 vodkas. More info.

HIDDEN TREASURES – Miss Porter’s House Museum, 434 King Street, Newcastle West | 13 July | 1 pm – 4 pm
Discover hidden treasures at Newcastle’s only UNESCO recognised museum. Marvel at nationally recognised documents from the Miss Porter’s House collection and other rarely seen beautiful and unique family objects. Visitors will be able to turn the pages of recently acquired replicas of notebooks and albums and see personal objects like a tiny mother-of-pearl evening purse—all on display during HIDDEN TREASURES.

Markets

Homegrown Markets – The Station, Newcastle | 12 July | 10 am – 2 pm
We’ll be bringing a lineup of fab handmade & design stalls, yummy street food, live tunes & entertainment. PLUS kids’ craft/game zone, permanent jewellery bar and face painting. More info.

Made and Found Markets – Webb Park | 13 July | 9 am – 1 pm
Shop rows of locally-made goods, thrift some EPIC preloved wardrobes, rummage for vintage treasures, enjoy a street-food brunch/lunch, relax to live tunes and soak up the community magic—it’s the perfect way to spend a Sunday! More info.

Do you want me to share an event in the Newcastle Digest?

Pet of the week

Another new segment because I am feeling extra inspired. Pet of the week.

I will kick this off with mine and Mrs Digest’s furbaby Mildred (Milly). Milly was adopted back in February 2024 after being found locked in a cage with all of her siblings at a job site. 

She is about 1 year and 9 months old and is the true leader of our household. Her favourite activities include bird watching and climbing into the sink, apparently.

Your turn now, reply to this email with a photo of your pet and some info to be featured. Viewing this online? Email [email protected]

Newcastle Comedy Festival

Newcastle Comedy Festival is a 4-week program during June/July featuring galas, diverse showcases, local talent and solo shows.