Newcastle Harbour
Newcastle is one of the world's big coal ports, but it's also a deep, well-protected harbour at the mouth of the Hunter with a yacht club marina handy to town. Coming down the coast it's the first proper all-weather stop for a lot of skippers. The trade-off is ships: you share a narrow entrance with bulk carriers, tugs and pilot boats around the clock, so you need to listen in and stay out of their road.
- 1Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club marina · OSM.
- 2Queens Wharf · OSM.
- 3Stockton Ferry Wharf · OSM.
- 4Stockton North Boat Ramp · OSM.
At a glance
| What it is | Working deep-water port at the mouth of the Hunter River |
| Entrance | Between the breakwaters off Nobbys Head (NGA) |
| Radio | Newcastle VTS on VHF 9; Marine Rescue Newcastle on VHF 16, working channel 73 |
| Small-craft hubs | Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club marina (Wickham), Carrington and Stockton ramps |
| Maps | TfNSW boating map 7C and coastal map 8 |
Getting in
- Log on/off on VHF 16; the unit lists VHF 73 as its working channel. Base phone (02) 4907 8200
- Newcastle VTS works on VHF 9
- Emergency: VHF 16 or Triple Zero (000)
Newcastle is not on the TfNSW list of coastal bars, but in a big south-easter the entrance can close to shipping, so treat it with respect.
Contacts checked on the unit's official website on 27 October 2026: newcastle.marinerescuensw.com.au/.The approach. NGA describes Nobbys Head on the south side of the entrance, with reefs and rocks awash up to about 200 m off its south-east side and 260 m off its east side. The south breakwater runs north-east from the head, and the north breakwater lies parallel to it. Lights show from Nobbys and both breakwater heads.
When not to. NGA warns of heavy breakers in south-east winds on the 9.1 m patch about 0.2 mile east of the north breakwater. It says a confused sea builds up in Stockton Bight in a severe south-easter and that the port has been closed for up to three days by heavy south-east swell. There's also a 5.2 m rocky patch about 0.2 mile south-south-east of the south breakwater head.
Tides and streams. Currents inside the harbour usually run at 1 to 2 knots, but NGA says the ebb has reached 6 knots during floods in the Hunter, with strong cross-currents in the Horseshoe and on the outer range.
Ships and VTS
- Listen on 9. The port is run 24/7 by the Port Authority of NSW from the VTS centre at the Nobbys signal station. Vessels under 30 m are exempt from mandatory VTS participation but are encouraged to take part (NGA). Marine Rescue Newcastle lists VHF 9 as the VTS working channel.
- Keep clear. Marine Rescue Newcastle's advice is simple: stay out of the shipping channel when a ship is moving, never cross ahead of one, and watch for tow lines between tugs and ships.
- Port notices. Port Authority notices for Newcastle cover buoy and survey work, such as notice 03 of 2026, when the North Reef shoal buoy (aid no. 29) was off station for a day in August.
Facilities
- Yacht club marina. The Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club marina sits at Wickham on the south side of the harbour, next to a boatyard.
- Ramps. Marine Rescue Newcastle describes the North Stockton boating hub on the Hunter (about 60 car-and-trailer spaces, wash-down bays, a small floating pontoon harbour) and the Carrington ramp with a 35 m floating pontoon.
- Up the river. The Hunter and Williams rivers are covered by TfNSW map 7C. The map says the South Channel and Fullerton Cove are shallow and not considered navigable, and the old Hexham bridge opens on 24 hours' notice.
Ashore
What's within about a 15-minute walk (1.2 km) of each marina, ramp or landing on this page, measured along streets and footpaths in OpenStreetMap. Addresses are from OpenStreetMap where it has one; where it doesn't, we show the name and distance only. Listings as fetched from OpenStreetMap on 27 October 2026; check opening hours before you walk.
From Queens Wharf (boat ramp / dinghy landing)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bars, pubs and clubs | |||
| Queens Wharf Hotel | Pub | 150 m | – |
| Battlesticks | Bar | 220 m | – |
| Blue Kahunas | Bar | 300 m | – |
| Crown & Anchor Hotel | Pub | 340 m | – |
| The Ship Inn | Bar | 450 m | 102 Hunter Street, 2300 |
| Vault 73 | Bar | 470 m | – |
| plus 15 more within the walk | |||
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| Signal Box | Restaurant | 140 m | – |
| Neighbours | Restaurant | 190 m | 2 Market Place |
| Everest | Ice cream | 210 m | – |
| Scratchley's Restaurant | Restaurant | 220 m | 200 Wharf Road, Newcastle NSW 2300 |
| Basement on Market Street | Restaurant | 230 m | Market Street |
| Harry's Cafe de Wheels | Takeaway | 260 m | – |
| Ka-fey Cafe Bar Restaurant | Cafe | 290 m | – |
| One Penny Black | Cafe | 340 m | – |
| plus 93 more within the walk | |||
| Entertainment | |||
| Newcastle Police Station Museum | Museum | 520 m | – |
| Greater Union Newcastle | Cinema | 600 m | 185 King Street, 2300 |
| Newcastle Comedy Club | Theatre | 690 m | – |
| Civic Theatre | Theatre | 960 m | 373 Hunter Street, 2300 |
| plus 1 more within the walk | |||
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| Woolworths Metro | Supermarket | 420 m | 169-185 Hunter Street, Newcastle NSW 2300 |
| My Local Store | Convenience store | 470 m | – |
| EzyMart | Convenience store | 610 m | – |
| Foodworks | Supermarket | 760 m | 60-62 Scott Street, 2300 |
| EzyMart | Convenience store | 810 m | – |
| Civic Grocer | Supermarket | 940 m | – |
| plus 7 more within the walk | |||
From Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club marina (marina)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bars, pubs and clubs | |||
| Albion Hotel | Pub | 250 m | – |
| Lass O'Gowrie | Pub | 710 m | – |
| The Cambridge Hotel | Bar | 850 m | – |
| Carrington Bowling Club | Bowls club | 900 m | – |
| Croatian Wickham Bowling Club | Bowls club | 930 m | – |
| Young Street Hotel | Pub | 980 m | – |
| plus 5 more within the walk | |||
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| The Olive Branch Cafe | Cafe | 240 m | – |
| The Wickham Boatshed | Takeaway | 250 m | – |
| Sticky Rice | Restaurant | 250 m | – |
| Harbourside Milk Bar | Takeaway | 250 m | – |
| The Providore | Cafe | 290 m | – |
| Masa Madre Sourdough Pizza | Takeaway | 550 m | – |
| The Source Cafe | Cafe | 680 m | – |
| Bank Corner Espresso Bar | Cafe | 830 m | – |
| plus 16 more within the walk | |||
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| The Bottle-O Wickham | Bottle shop | 330 m | – |
| Biggs | Convenience store | 600 m | Stewart Avenue, Wickham 2293 |
| CBD Mart | Convenience store | 960 m | – |
| Carrington Grocer | Convenience store | 970 m | – |
| AKK Dansy Asian Grocery | Supermarket | 1.0 km | – |
| Cellarbrations | Bottle shop | 1.2 km | – |
| plus 6 more within the walk | |||
From Stockton Ferry Wharf (boat ramp / dinghy landing)
| Name | Type | Walk | Street address (OSM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bars, pubs and clubs | |||
| General Washington Hotel | Pub | 230 m | – |
| Gladstone Hotel | Pub | 390 m | – |
| Port Hunter 16ft Sailing Skiff Club | Yacht/boat club | 620 m | 71 Hunter Street |
| Stockton RSL | RSL club | 1.1 km | – |
| Restaurants and cafes | |||
| Whispers on the Wharf | Cafe | 120 m | – |
| Cafe | Cafe | 420 m | – |
| Cafe | Cafe | 560 m | – |
| Supermarkets and provisioning | |||
| Bakery | Bakery | 560 m | – |
| BYO Cellars | Bottle shop | 610 m | – |
| IGA | Supermarket | 640 m | – |
Nothing mapped within the 15-minute walk of: Stockton North Boat Ramp.
No marine stores or chandlers are mapped in OpenStreetMap within the walk.
Places, types, addresses and walking distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), fetched 27 October 2026.
About this page
These are free planning notes written by a working delivery skipper from public sources. They are not for navigation. Use the official chart, current Transport for NSW marine notices, Port Authority notices, official tide tables and local advice. Spotted something out of date? Please use Report a correction below.
Official links
Check these before you go. They beat anything on this page.
- Port Authority of NSW: Newcastle Harbour notices to mariners
- Marine Rescue Newcastle: boating and port info
- Transport for NSW boating maps (index)
- Transport for NSW marine notices (current)
- Transport for NSW: crossing coastal bars
- Marine Rescue NSW: log on and plan your trip
- Bureau of Meteorology: tide predictions
- Bureau of Meteorology: NSW coastal waters forecasts
- Bureau of Meteorology: NSW warnings (incl. marine wind warnings)
Sources & credits
Written in our own words from Transport for NSW boating map 7C (Lower Hunter River and Newcastle Harbour inset, produced 23 June 2021) and coastal map 8 (each sheet read with pdftotext or viewed on 27 October 2026; each carries its own 'produced' or 'printed' date, quoted on the page), NGA Pub. 127 Sailing Directions (Enroute) East Coast of Australia and New Zealand (2025), Transport for NSW boating pages and marine notices, Port Authority of NSW notices, Marine Rescue NSW unit pages (checked 27 October 2026) and OpenStreetMap. NGA Pub. 127 Sector 5 (5.10 to 5.11). Port Authority of NSW Newcastle notices list read 27 October 2026 (notices 01 to 03 of 2026 have all expired). Marine Rescue Newcastle unit and boating pages read 27 October 2026.
Transport for NSW. Facts from the Transport for NSW boating maps (each sheet's 'produced' date is quoted where we rely on it), nsw.gov.au boating pages and TfNSW marine notices, restated and summarised in our own words. Maps are linked, not reproduced. The official maps, notices and the Marine Safety Regulation 2016 prevail. Not endorsed by Transport for NSW.
Port Authority of NSW. Local marine notices and recreational boating advice for Newcastle, Sydney Harbour, Botany Bay and Port Kembla, cited for fact only.
NGA. Background from NGA Pub. 127, Sailing Directions (Enroute) East Coast of Australia and New Zealand (2025), U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, a US Government work in the public domain. Parts of it are old; where a page leans on it, we say so. Not endorsed by NGA.
OpenStreetMap. Map tiles, facility positions and the Ashore lists © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.
Marine Rescue NSW. Unit contacts and hours from each unit's own website, checked on the date shown in the rescue box.
Last checked: 27 October 2026.
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