Newcastle

I needed to stop someplace between Brisbane and Sydney. Even when taking a 7AM train, I still wouldn't arrive in Sydney until nearly 10PM. I really don't feel safe arriving in cities the size of Chicago late at night, So I stopped in Newcastle, only 100 miles north.

Newcastle is a laid back town of about 150,000 that has quite interesting architecture. It was once a penal colony for the worst of Australia's criminals. Now its a surfing town.

I only had one morning to explore the town, so I hit the sack early, set my alarm for 7AM and prepared to fly through the two 4km walks around the town. I awoke to rain that didn't stop for two hours. Staked out by the window with a fantastic book, I waited until all signs of rain had stopped before venturing out. It took one hour until I saw the first patch of blue in the sky.

I snuck out, called my parents and began walking to the town's phallic observation tower, finding it locked, I walked out towards the lighthouse on a point jutting from the harbour. The sky was clear, the rain was nowhere in sight until I was almost to the lighthouse, nearly a mile from shelter. Suddenly, boom! Downpour, intense winds, horizontal rain. My $2 saran wrap quality poncho did nothing. I found a picnic shelter, but being on a point jutting to the ocean, I was still exposed to whatever elements Poseidon fancied. I was only able to find a dry spot the size of a sugar packet. All I could see was rain for miles. Since I was still getting soaked in the shelter, I elected to walk, defeated, back to the hostel.

I arrived back, soaked, cold, squishy shoed, just in time for the sky to clear. I'm back in my dry corner of the hostel, looking at the blue skies, knowing I'll be pummeled the second I venture outside. I'll just have to skip Newcastle. I have an hour until my train, but I think I like the couch and my cup of tea more.