Newcastle Australia Christ Church Cathedral; Shutterstock ID 1517841710; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

Tawunap159/Shutterstock

Christ Church Cathedral

Newcastle


Dominating the city skyline, Newcastle's Anglican cathedral is filled with treasures like a gold chalice and a remembrance book made from jewellery donated by locals who lost loved ones in WWI. The self-guided tour offers an insight into special features such as the fine pre-Raphaelite stained-glass window by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris. Climb the claustrophobic spiral stairs to the tower ($10 donation) for splendid views across the mouth of the Hunter and the long dunes beyond.

Don't miss a ramble in the small hillside park behind the building. The cathedral was begun in 1892, finished in 1979 and re-finished in 1997 after heavy damage in the 1989 earthquake.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Newcastle attractions

2. Lock-Up

0.23 MILES

These days artists in residence, rather than prisoners, occupy this former police station (1861). There’s a dynamic contemporary-art program, artists…

3. King Edward Park

0.33 MILES

This magnificently landscaped ocean-side park offers sweeping views, lots of grass and plenty of shady spots for lounging around. The best views are from…

4. Newcastle Beach

0.4 MILES

Surfers and swimmers adore this picturesque patrolled beach at the eastern end of the town centre. Nearby accommodation and eating options mean that you…

5. Newcastle Art Gallery

0.42 MILES

Ignore the brutalist exterior, as inside this remarkable regional gallery are some wonderful works. There's no permanent exhibition; displays rotate the…

6. Newcastle Museum

0.52 MILES

This attractive museum in the restored Honeysuckle rail workshops tells a tale of the city from its Indigenous Awabakal origins to its rough-and-tumble…

7. Fort Scratchley

0.66 MILES

Perched above Newcastle Harbour, this intriguing military site was constructed during the Crimean War to protect the city against a feared Russian…

8. Nobby's Beach

0.79 MILES

Surfers should goofy-foot it to Nobby's Beach. The fast left-hander known as the Wedge is at its northern end, which can also offer good kitesurfing…