Just sometimes, I can imagine that Newcastle has a touch of some of the world’s great cities in it.
This could plausibly be Paris on a summer’s day ….
but it is in fact a cafe in the far more prosaic Broadmeadow.
This could almost be the Trevi Fountain in Rome …
but it is in fact Civic Park in Newcastle (which is admittedly one of Newcastle’s finest parks).
And this could be one of the canals of Amsterdam …
but it is actually Throsby Creek which, although formerly an industrial wasteland, is now a picturesque tidal river, frequented by fishermen as well as pelicans and various other birdlife.
Given that Newcastle ranked as one of the top cities to visit in the world in the 2011 Lonely Planet Guide, it is not really surprising that such beauty can be found here. To see a great photo of one of our beaches, as well as some comments on the virtues, or lack thereof, of Newcastle, look here.
Isn’t it nice when you live in such a wonderful locale? When we moved back to Burlington it’s decidedly a hipper city than it used to be with the eyesore of oil tanks, and grain elevator the waterfront. That same real estate is now a city park with a bike path. It’s a whole lot better for everyone when the waste is cleared up from creeks and land. It used to be all about mills on water and in our case a lumber and oil port for shipping on the lake. Now it’s about cleaner living and attracting tourists.
It sounds so much like here Annie. We used to be surrounded by industry and coal mining, but a lot of the steel making has left here and the coalmines are not so many now, though they are still very active in some places. The town has been cleaned up and now there are lovely eating and recreational places along the old industrial sites.