Sustainable / Eco friendly Newcastle
Visit Newcastle and feel totally good about it. These sustainable and eco-conscious Newcastle experiences are not only great fun but good for the planet too.
Cycle with a Newcastle local
Explore Australia’s coolest city by the sea on two wheels. Join local Ben Ogden from Newy Rides on his ‘Essentials X The Burbs’ cycle tour of Newcastle. Start with a glass of locally made Dirt Candy wine, pedal out along scenic Nobbys Breakwall then skirt the harbour taking in street art from Newcastle’s inaugural Big Picture Fest including Fintan Magee’s large-scale Shadow at Museum Park. From there it’s onwards to the harbourside village of Carrington for a craft beer or gin tasting at either Styx Brewery or Earps Distillery (itineraries change), finishing your Newcastle cycle tour with authentic Texan BBQ served up from an orange bus.
Image Credit: Destination NSW
More pedal power
No bike? Fear not. Hire one of Crystalbrook Kingsley’s Dutch-made Lekker bicycles and get out amongst the Newcastle cycle scene. Cycle along the flat (shared) cycleway which hugs bustling Newcastle Harbour and city beaches - salty breeze on your face, wind in your hair with dolphins and surfers playing in the rolling waves.
Newcastle on foot
Newcastle Afoot operates small guided walking tours and grassroots local experiences connecting visitors to local businesses and creatives.
Discover Newcastle’s boozy history, delve into Newcastle’s historic east end, join a fun scavenger hunt or hear the stories behind the city’s ever expanding gallery of street art on an epic Newcastle walk. Newcastle Afoot tours are led by passionate local Becky Kiil (who also happens to be the Big Picture Fest organiser) who consciously considers her tour’s environmental footprint. “I love seeing people discover cool things about Newcastle that they didn’t know about,” Becky said.
Newcastle Memorial Walk
Take a carbon neutral stroll along Newcastle’s Memorial Walk for 360-degree sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and out to the Hunter Valley. Huff and puff your way up The Hill directly behind the CBD (it’s Newcastle’s own ‘Streets of San Fransisco’) and take a scenic walk along this stunning 450 metre clifftop span. Newcastle’s coastline stretching from Nobbys to Merewether makes the perfect Insta-worthy backdrop with sunsets looking towards Merewether Beach particularly fetching.
Image Credit: Destination NSW
Newcastle City Farmers Market
Buy locally grown produce, meet farmers, artisans and producers at the Newcastle City Farmers Market. These fabulous weekly farmers’ markets give punters the opportunity to buy directly from the source – the person who grew, nurtured and made the product. Not only can you meet the farmer (or maker), you can also ask about how and where it’s grown or made and how best to store or use it. Browse more than 110 stalls brimming with freshly picked fruit and vegetables, locally made bread, cheese, handcrafted gifts and more.
Climate calories
Want to know whether the dish you’re ordering is locally sourced, sustainably grown or caught, has an indigenous connection or consciously reduces waste? Crystalbrook Kingsley has taken its sustainability ethos one step further with the launch of Climate Calories across Crystalbrook Collection’s 14 restaurants and bars.
Menu items across rooftop restaurant Roundhouse, adjoining bar Romberg's and cafe Ms Mary’s will be labelled with Climate Calorie information enabling diners to enjoy their meal and mitigate their environmental impact.
Using icons alongside each dish, Climate Calories helps assure diners of everything from whether ingredients are ethically sourced through to culturally considered. It’s a win-win for the diner, the supplier and the planet.
Zero waste cocktails
Taking Newcastle sustainability to another level, Crystalbrook Kingsley is fighting food waste and carbon emissions with zero waste cocktails. Romberg's not only makes its own cordial from fruit that has already been juiced but dehydrates its own citrus wheels and banana chips to dress up its artisan cocktails too. Try the Fredericks Sidecar 23 made from banana cordial concocted from leftover bananas from breakfast. How eco savvy is that?