Better than Port Mac, but this town still feels a little in betweenish. The main attraction here is the Big Banana, which funnily enough you only see on the way out of the town if you are travelling by coach.
I stated at the YHA (again!) whilst it was clean enough and has good facilities it lacked atmosphere.
Stay – Aussitel Backpackers (02) 6651 1871
Do – Get your first photo in front of a big thing!
So onto Port Mac. Urm not a lot to say about this place really. Seemed like most people were there because they wanted to break up their journeys! I met one poor guy who was going from Sydney to Brisbane and was stopping in Port Mac and Coffs Harbour and wasn’t seeing anything else…DOH!
I stayed at the YHA, it was pretty small and didn’t have anywhere near enough facilities to keep everyone happy 
Stay – Ozzie Pozzie Backpackers (02) 6583 8133
Do – Wait to go somewhere else
First stop from Sydney was Newcastle.
The town itself has a bustling feel about it. Stockton is separated from the main town by the river which runs into Newcastle port. A short ferry ride gets you across and onto the other side. Once over there things slow down, almost to a standstill!
The town itself has a couple of hostels, Backpackers by the Beach, quite a small hostel with a basement like a dungeon and a larger YHA which has a good atmosphere and great facilities.
The best thing about Newcastle for me is that you can easily get to Port Stephens from here! Shuttle buses run a couple of times a day. Port Stephens is home to some of Australia’s biggest sand dunes. There is plenty to keep you busy here too with activities ranging from sand boarding, whale watching and surfing. While in Port Stephens stay at Melaleuca Backpackers. This is an awesome place with wooden cabins set in amongst the rain forest.
Stay – Newcastle Beach YHA (02) 4925 3544
Do – Great surfing beaches, couple of museums, GO TO PORT STEPHENS!
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