daniel_thomas

Thank you Marisa, this looks super helpful

Hi all, we are in the early stages of our Visa application and are looking to connect with people from Newcastle for more advice on what it's really like to live there and hopefully to start building a network for play dates, or any advice is just as welcome! We are in our late 20's, our daughter has just gone 2.5 and we have 2 dogs a golden retriever and a chihuahua Italian greyhound cross (they are making the move with us!). We also have family in Sydney and on the Central Coast so we always wanted to be in NSW but not in Sydney, as much as we love Sydney we are just not big city kinda people and luckily I work remotely! We recently spent a week in Newcastle on our most recent visit and liked the area, in particular around Merewether (other suburb advice is more than welcome). We were particularly drawn to the city, it has a great atmosphere or "vibe", a great coffee culture, the coastal walks are brilliant, the beaches are great, the memorial walk, Nobby's, the proximity to parks, green spaces, blackbutt reserve is great!, the closeness to the Hunter Valley and Lake Macquarie and even the city center itself, it felt like a developing city with a quirky/indie attitude, yes we read up on Newcastle's past and like how the city is re-inventing itself, how it's port is a working port and even the ferry to Stockton (as nice as it is, it's still not the Manly ferry) is still a great addition. We might be a little bit early asking the question but keen to find out people's thoughts... We'd love to know people's experiences of living in Newcastle with kids and dogs, the good, the bad and the ugly, be honest! Any tips on pre-school, the schools/education, healthcare, day-to-day with kids, activities to do, pet-friendly areas, safety and security, or anything else you think we should know? Thanks for any help, looking forward to hearing from you! Danny & Fran