Weekly edition
Newcastle Digest First edition: Your Ultimate Guide to the Best of Our City
Your Ultimate Guide to Local Food, Events, and More
Good morning, Newcastle. Welcome to the first edition of the Newcastle Digest Newsletter.
Thank you to all who have already subscribed. I am surprised with the interest I have gotten without spending a dollar on advertising. Thank you to r/Newcaslte, and all of those who have shared.
As this is the first edition, I want to briefly overview the content segments.
Local gem: Basically, something that I have tried in the Newcastle area and really liked in the past couple of weeks that warrants sharing ie - Cafes, bars, restaurants etc.
Quick hits: Curated valuable snippets of relevant local news. The initial plan is not to go too deep into the news, but I am willing to change. Please vote on this poll below to allow me to judge the sentiment.
Should we include longer form news in the weekly publication |
What’s on: Local events and activities from Thursday to Sunday broken up into food/markets, live music and art + culture.
Those are the 3 core groups that will be included in every edition. Each week I will sprinkle in other topics in a bid to make sure nothing gets dry.
Anyway, with that out of the way, let’s get into it.
Table of Contents
Quick hits
Jesmond roadworks - Expect delays more delays from Tuesday 20 August with Transport NSW undertaking work on Newcastle Road at the Jesmond roundabout. The northbound lane is to be closed for the installation of culverts to connect to the existing Dark Creek channels. Full story from Newcastle Weekly
More investment in the ever-expanding University of Newcastle - The University of Newcastle has won planning approval for a new $22 million nursing school. Good news for nursing students. Read the full story from the Newcastle Herald.
Weekend bike ride? The final section of Fernleigh Awabakal Track opened - The Fernleigh Awabakal Shared Track is now officially completed! Read more
Time for a swim yet? - Lambton Pool has officially reopened marking the start of an extended swimming season in Newcastle.
Local Gem
For this week’s local gem, we have headed to Adamstown to try out Local Customs. A very beautiful modern cafe with a mix of indoor and outdoor seating, a unique breakfast menu and beautiful decor.
A perfect venue for breakfast/brunch. Keep note, they do not take bookings for less than 6 people, we visited on Saturday at 8 am to secure a table and the cafe was quite full by 9 am.
Price: moderate to high
Vibes: high
 Chilli scrambled eggs + garlic mushrooms |  Blueberry compote and lemon curd crepe (special) |
What’s on - 22 August - 27 August
Food / Markets
Saturday 24 August
Whisky & Craft Spirits Festival, Bartholomew's, 145 King St, Newcastle
Handmade in the Hunter Markets, 5 Halls Road, Pokolbin, NSW, Australia
Sunday 25 August
Hunter Arts Bazzare, Lambton Park
Live music
Thursday 22 August
Nirvana Tribute Show, King Street Warehouse, Newcastle, 8pm. $50.
Open Mic, Rogue Scholar, Newcastle, 7pm, every Thursday.
The Visitors, The Arthouse, 8pm. $25
Friday 23 August
The Belair Lip Bombs, King Street Warehouse, Newcastle, 8pm. $20.
VDUBS, Front Bar, Wickham Park Hotel, Islington, 8.30pm.
Conner Wink, The Rinks Stage, Adamstown Bowling Club, 5pm.
Before The King, The Stag & Hunter Hotel, Mayfield, 8pm.
Saturday 24 August
Northeast Party House Enhance Tour, King Street Band Room, Newcastle, 7pm. $65.
Skyes Law, Front Bar, Wickham Park Hotel, Islington, 8.30pm.
Karen Soper, The Rinks Stage, Adamstown Bowling Club, 5pm.
Rock Rhapsody, Club Charlestown, 8.30pm.
Hoedown Throwdown, Shoal Bay Country Club, 9pm.
Earlydyze, Club Stockton, 7 pm.
Nathan Cole,
The Ultimate Pink Show, Cardiff RSL, 8:30 pm
The Motherload / Splodge, The Royal Oak Hotel, 8:30 pm
Sunday 25 August
Boston Manor, King Street, Newcastle, 7pm. $70.
Wayward Kings, Front Bar, Wickham Park Hotel, Islington, 6pm.
Darren Rolling Keys, Toronto Hotel, 2 pm
Brian McVernon, Lowlands Bowling Club, 3 pm
Art and culture
Carrie The Musical | 22 - 25 Aug, Civic Theatre, The Playhouse, 375 Hunter St, Newcastle
Streets of Our Town | 23 Aug - 7 Sep, Wester Gallery, 16 Wood St, Mulubinba / Newcastle West
FEAR-LESS Exhibition Opening Night | 24 Aug, 7 Robert St, Wickham
Photo of the week
Mereweather Beach
This beautiful photo was taken by yours truly. Do you have a photo taken from Newcastle or the surrounding areas? If you would like to be featured, tag us on Instagram @newcastledigest. Please prevent this from being a dump of my camera roll.
Feel good story
Let’s face it—the news is often negative. I don’t like to be negative, so I want to showcase a positive story from our region.
This month, Lake Macquarie is home to a heartwarming art exhibition titled Including You, Including Me, Including Us, which showcases the incredible talents of artists with disabilities from around the region. Over 20 artists from 13 local service providers came together for a 12-week program, where they explored their creativity through various mediums like pens, pencils, and paintbrushes.
But this exhibition is more than just a collection of beautiful artworks—it’s a testament to the power of creativity in fostering wellbeing and connection. Participants have shared that the program helped them feel more connected, empowered, and confident, leaving a lasting impact that goes far beyond the gallery walls.
Interested in checking it out? Read more
Get in touch
Do you want to get in touch? Whether you have an event you would like promoted, a story you would like to submit or a business that would like to advertise, click this link.
Thanks for reading; please let me know your thoughts on the poll below. If there is anything in particular you would like to see me include, please reply to the email. Talk next week!
How'd you like today's email? |
This weekly edition sits alongside the Newcastle Digest Journal. See this week's Newcastle Gig Guide and the Newcastle Markets Guide.
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