Morpeth/Nelson Bay/Newcastle Explorer - Friday 28/2/2025 - sold out
Summary: We depart the Central Coast at about 8am, travelling up to the historical town of Morpeth, where you will have time to explore this lovely town & its interesting shops.
From Morpeth, we will then continue up to Nelson Bay for lunch where you can purchase lunch from one of the many cafes and coffee shops or bring a picnic from home to enjoy by the water. We will then look around some of the surrounding bays of Port Stephens.
After lunch, our vehicle will make a quick stop to view Stockton Beach then continue its way back to the Central Coast via the Coast road.
The town of Morpeth was initially created through the private actions of Lieutenant E.C.Close, who selected a property of 1,000 hectares and developed it as a river port from 1831-1841. The lieutenant built his house, known as Closebourne, on the property. A two-storey Georgian home made of sandstone, the house became an episcopal residence from 1848-1912, which eventually became the nucleus of St John's Theological College on Morpeth Road.
The river port grew steadily throughout the 1830s; St James's Church, Tank Street, was built from 1837 to 1840. It was partly designed by John Horbury Hunt and now has a Local Government Heritage listing. A major merchant at this time was James Taylor, who built a bond store circa 1850, located near the bridge and now heritage-listed. The town continued to expand. Morpeth Court House was built circa 1861 in a Greek Revival style; the police station followed in 1879. The construction of the Great Northern Railway in 1857, bypassing Morpeth, meant that Newcastle developed as the regional port. Morpeth became less significant commercially, but still survived as a township with its own history and heritage.
The town today is a tourist destination due to its many historical buildings and river bank setting.
Nelson Bay - Lunch stop
There will be a stop at Nelson Bay for an hour and a half, allowing time for passengers to purchase their own lunch and browse through the shops.
Brief History of Nelson Bay:
Nelson Bay is a coastal resort town of approximately 5000 people located just inside the mouth of Port Stephens, a large natural harbour. Despite its growing popularity the town, treads a sensible line between tourism and charm. Nelson Bay, the largest town of the Port Stephens area, is 223 km north of Sydney via the Pacific Highway, 69 km from Newcastle by road and 18 m above sea-level.The origin of the town's name is not known. It may have derived from the boat the Lady Nelson used by Governor Macquarie in 1812 when he came to visit the Port with an eye to establishing a settlement which never eventuated.
A group of Chinese fishermen established a base here early in the 19th century. They cured their catch and sent it back to China and to Chinese merchants in Sydney and Melbourne.
The first survey of Nelson Bay was carried out in 1874. A post office and school were established in 1883. By 1886 there were about 30 residents. The villagers led a rather peaceful life based around fishing (still important to the local economy) until developers arrived in the late 1960s.
Tour Includes:
Home pick up & drop off service (within our advertised area) & return transfer to venues with commentary.
Price:
$75
Bookings:
Please register online or contact our office on 4325 4053.
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