The southern end is noted for its surfing

There is safe swimming from in front of the surf club at the northern end of the beach. Also at the northern end is a large ocean bath and the canoe pool an old, large and safe children's wading pool. The southern end is noted for its surfing. Indeed the Surfest Surfing Competition is held annually on Newcastle Beach in April. King Edward Park There is an army fortification zone on the hilltop at the southern end of King Edward Park. The military remnants can be seen near the carpark at the crest of the street known as The Terrace. The fortifications were established in 1890 but rebuilt during World War II when it was known as Park Battery. A cement fortess and a series of pillboxes remain though they are now crumbling and marked by graffiti. From this point there are good views eastwards over the ocean where there are usually dozens of ships queueing for entrance into the harbour. To the north are Newcastle Beach, Nobbys Head, the two breakwaters which superintend the river estuary and, beyond that, Stockton Beach. Within the river mouth the Hunter recedes northwest into the distance and northwards into Stockton Channel where it passes under Stockton Bridge while Throsby Creek snakes its serpentine way to the southwest. As you gaze down towards the harbour you can see an obelisk at the far end of the park, Newcastle Anglican Cathedral towering atop an intervening hill and the weight of heavy industry encamped implacably about the estuary voiding its bowels to the sky. Wander down The Terrace, observing the fine Victorian terrace houses (c.1890) which give the street its name. At the bottom of The Terrace turn right into Reserve Rd then take the left into Wolfe St. There is a signposted set of steps to your right leading up to The Obelisk situated atop a hill from whence there are excellent views Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin) . A windmill built on this site in 1820 became a major navigational aide for shipping. Its demolition in 1847 provoked protests from mariners and, consequently, the obelisk was erected as an alternative marker in 1850. An early water reservoir was situated under this spot in 1885. Looking south, back down into the gully, there is a lovely octagonal band rotunda (1898) with finial, columns, balustrades and intricate lacework, all of cast iron, as well as a frieze around the base. This depression was once the site of a paddock for Australian Agricultural Company horses which worked in an adjacent pit (at the corner of Bingle St and Anzac Parade). It now features a sunken garden. If you walk along Reserve Rd to the fencing on the hillside you will find a road alignment post on the far side dating from 1864, together with an explanatory plaque. One of the roadways which winds through the park leads down to the Bogey Hole at the very bottom of the cliffs below the fortifications. This large excavation in the rocks tells us something of the nature of Newcastle in the early 19th century. It is, in fact, a bathing pool which was built by convict labour for the personal pleasure of Major James T. Morriset, the military commandant from 18191822 who did much to improve the breakwater, roads and barracks in the settlement. Known for many years as Commandant's Bath it became a public pool in 1863. As one stands and watches the waves ceaselessly washing over the pool the extent of the achievement and the grossness of the indulgence becomes apparent, for the convicts must have dug this hole between waves, waste high in water. Shepherds Hill Just south of King Edward Park the land continues to rise to a high point atop Shepherds Hill. The name presumably derives from Lt Col. Paterson's 1801 survey report, in which he named it Sheep Pasture Hill after the English associations its appearance stirred in him. Strzelecki Lookout, atop the hill, is named in honour of the Polish geologist and explorer whose chemical analyses and research into coal deposits from 183945 influenced the development of the region.