Nobbys Beach — Attraction in Newcastle-Maitland

Where do I begin? No doubt the most famous & iconic of Newcastle's beaches, & the most visited, with Nobbys Lighthouse at the northern end of the beach, & The sheltered Soldier's Baths at the southern end of the beach. A beautiful beach, stretching around to The Breakwall, with sandunes that divide the beach from The Breakwall, & Harbour. A popular surf spot, also for beginners, where both Surfest Surf School & Learn To Surf Newcastle offer lessons. Kite Surfing is also popular here due to the ideal weather conditions. Most visitors tend to stay near The Kiosk, & lifeguards for convenience, however, if you take a stroll northwards, you'll notice a much less populated part of the beach, if you wish to escape the crowds. The Breakwall has recently undergone some upgrades, which includes some extra walking paths to the beach, making it easier for people to access. The southern end is patrolled by Lifeguards, & has a kiosk, a sheltered eating area, toilets, outdoor showers, a grassed area, lockers, beach volleyball nets, & concrete seating overlooking the beach infront of the car park. In Summer, there's also an icecream van in the car park, & accross from the carpark, you'll find a lovely grassy area called "Camp Shortland" which has a BBQ shelter & plenty of shade. Nobbys Breakwall is a local favourite walking spot, but it's also a great spot for viewing ships coming in to & leaving the harbour. The Breakwall is also a popular fishing spot, & surf spot, when the conditions are right, & on the other side of The Breakwall, is a dog beach, also called The Harbour Beach, but it's proper name is Horseshoe Beach. An ever popular dog walking beach, & a sheltered harbour beach, for those seeking less crowds. To the right of The Kiosk, you'll find an artist's sculpture of the remnants of The Pasha Bulka which ran aground, during a storm on June 8th, 2007. The sculpture is of the remnants of the 19 tonne rudder which snapped off the rocks during the salvage operation. Nobbys Beach is just a 5 minute walk southwards to Newcastle Ocean Baths, & Beach, about 50m walk accross the carpark to The Harbour Foreshore, & about 5 mins walk up to...

Great beach for everyone of all skill levels. Patrolled and safe, very picturesque. For the surfer there are 6 breaks to choose from so on any given day one of them will be firing. From right to left looking up the beach you've got :

The Groper - right hand reef break which barrels under the right conditions. A short sharp ride and holds up to 6 foot swell.

The Bank - the sandbank has something for everyone. Able to break a 1 foot summer swell on low tide and also able to handle a solid 4 foot winter swell. Rights and lefts available here.

The Reef - Nobbys Reef is a favorite among intermediate to advanced surfers. It'll break a summer 2 foot swell on the inner section and hold up to a 10 foot swell on the outer section as long as the swell is coming from the East or South East. I've seen the reef hold a wave at times when all the Newcastle beaches are closed out and closed due to a huge swell.

The reef is a huge long left hander, its a big favourite with the goofey footers when its pumping. It is also really easy to paddle out due to a deep water channel right next to it. The channel turns into a long elevator rip in anything over 4 foot making it even easier to get out the back.

Newcastle Pipe (also known as 'The Spot') - Barrels galore over a very shallow rock ledge make this place the playground of the advanced and the crazy. A wicked right hander with a savage takeoff, Newy Pipe fires best on a 3 to 4 foot Easterly swell and is a favorite among hard core bodyboarders.

The Spit - As the name suggests its a sand spit and really fires up during the summer months on a small to medium East to North East Swell. The spit also has offshore winds during the Southerly changes which are common in summer. A left hander and when conditions are right... quite a long fast one.

The wedge - A left hand reef break tucked up against the right side of Nobbys Breakwall. The wedge can offer great barrels and hold up to a solid 4 foot swell. Works best on an Easterly to East-South-East swell...

Nobbys Head (Aboriginal: Whibayganba) is a headland located on the southern entrance to Newcastle Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. The headland is situated above the Hunter River and the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean.

Originally called Coal Island, and then later Nobbys Island, the Island was connected to the mainland at first by the Macquarie Pier, completed in 1846, 38 years after commencement. The pier was eventually replaced by a breakwater. Sand accumulated along the breakwall to make Nobby's beach, and the sand and plants makes the isthmus appear natural.

The rock of the original island has significant tunnelling, which was completed during the 1850s using convict labour, with the aim of destroying the island.

Nobbys Head lighthouse is located on the headland. The lighthouse is the third lighthouse built in New South Wales after the Macquarie Lighthouse in 1818 and the Hornby Lighthouse which was also built in 1858. The lighthouse is included in Newcastle's coat of arms.

Newcastle's highest profile beach, with council Lifeguard Services provided Monday to Saturday year round and volunteer members of Nobbys Surf Lifesaving Club provide beach patrols on Sundays during the swimming season. It is a favoured swimming spot for family groups and those learning to surf.

The first beach on the Bather's Way, take a walk along the Harbour Break-wall and Nobby's Lighthouse. Plus the walk between Nobbys Beach and Newcastle Ocean baths features the Historic Soldier's Baths Rock Pool.

The beach is accessible from Newcastle train station and bus terminal and has change room facilities, picnic shelters, a kiosk available (during swimming season) at the beach and free barbecues on foreshore area adjoining the...