Merewether Beach

Back in the day we’d roll out of bed, squint at a sun that refuses to be boring and pretend the rest of Newcastle is just a satellite suburb. Merewether Beach wears its resume on its sleeve: the Merewether Ocean Baths — opened in 1935, a whopping 50 × 100m and long-touted as the biggest ocean baths in the Southern Hemisphere — sits on our southern edge like an old-school civic flex. For years Broadsheet and Time Out have been taking photos of it while we do laps, paddle, or pretend we’re training for something.

Our weekend routine? We’ve walked the Bathers Way so many times it’s practically our local footpath shrine — it links the baths all the way to Nobby’s Lighthouse and gives us an excuse to call a coastal stroll “culture.” Concrete Playground and Urban List liked to remind visitors that you could book The Beach House at Merewether (22 John Parade) and watch the sunrise from a queen bed — which, yes, is exactly the kind of humble brag our Airbnb-obsessed cousins love.

For years the Surfhouse has been Newcastle’s answer to a seaside power move — Time Out even compared Merewether Surfhouse to Bondi Icebergs, with its three levels and the sort of ocean views that make you feel slightly superior about your lunch. Urban List and Sitchu pegged the area as surf-ready and family-friendly in equal measure; Newy with Kids still recommends the baths’ shallow, sandy-bottomed pool for toddlers while the waves out front keep the surfers busy and the rest of us entertained.

We admit: we were briefly delighted when Netflix turned up with a colossal umbrella and free merch — because what says local identity like corporate pop-ups on the sand?

Who would hate living here? People who prefer silence, flat beaches and not having to explain what Surfest is. Or anyone who thinks “ocean baths” sounds like a municipal menace rather than a community treasure.

Who would love it? Surfers, early-morning swimmers, families who need a toddler-friendly pool, and anyone who wants coastal walks, big ocean views and the kind of seaside confidence that comes from living beside 50 × 100 metres of history. We may be modest, but we know our shoreline.