I arrived in Newcastle on Monday evening, and it's lovely! It's quite small and there's not a whole lot to do, but it has a lovely foreshore and a promenade with beautiful beaches. There's a little ferry that goes across to Stockton, I've seen signs for Hexham and Wickham, and yesterday I saw a bus going to Wallsend, via Jesmond! Tee hee.

Yesterday I went for a look around Newcastle cathedral, and walked past Newcastle University and the civic centre. I also walked up to the obelisk where I could see all of the surrounding area as it's on a big hill in the middle of the town. I then walked along the foreshore and found the ocean baths, which look like the open air swimming pool probably used to, in Tynemouth.

Today I went for a wine, cheese and choc safari in the Hunter Valley (the big wine region). We tried about twenty different types of wine, including fortified wines and also some liquours. We also got to try cheeses, and some chocolates. The Hunter Valley area is gorgeous; especially today as it is really sunny.

Before Newcastle, I went to Port Macquarie, where it rained. It cleared up in the evening though, and I went to a (boring) presentation at the local observatory, and saw the moon close up through a telescope. It was really interesting to see close-up the features that make the big shapes and shadows we can see from Earth. I also saw Jupiter and three of its moons!

Before Port Macquarie was Coffs Harbour, where I went to a sea-life-centre-type-thing that looks after dolphins, seals and the like. I got a peck on the cheek from a dolphin and a seal (which actually just blew air down my ear!) and I FINALLY got to feed a dolphin :) It had to jump through the air and catch the fish from a stick I was holding out. I wasn't sure I would like the whole thing because I much prefer to see animals in the wild, but they are hospital animals so they need to be looked after and they are treated well.

So tomorrow I am off to Sydney! I can't actually believe I will finally be there tomorrow. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!