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Waratah
Genus of plants from southeastern Australia

Waratah

The waratah is an Australian-endemic genus of five species of large shrubs to small trees, native to the southeastern parts of Australia.

Plan a trip to Waratah→

The best-known species in this genus is Telopea speciosissima, which has bright red flowers and is the New South Wales (NSW) state emblem. The waratah is a member of the family Proteaceae, flowering plants (Angiosperms) distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The key diagnostic feature of Proteaceae is the inflorescence, which is often very large, brightly coloured and showy, consisting of many small flowers densely packed into a compact head or spike. Species of waratah boast such inflorescences ranging from 6–15 cm in diameter with a basal ring of coloured bracts. The leaves are spirally arranged, 10–20 cm long and 2–3 cm broad with entire or serrated margins. The name waratah comes from the Eora Aboriginal people, the traditional owners of the Sydney region.

Get in

Getting to Waratah

The Newcastle area is at least two hours' drive north from the centre of Sydney on the Pacific Motorway (M1). This stretch of road is a major commuter route for traffic from the Central Coast and North Shore so travel time increases significantly in the peaks to and from Sydney. The Pacific Motorway is on the western side of Lake Macquarie.

  1. 01
    Newcastle Interchange via the Central Coast

    Travelling time varies between 2 and 3 hours.

  2. 02
    Broadmeadow Station
  3. 03
    Newcastle Airport

    Expanded in 2025, Newcastle Airport has flights from all major Australian cities and a solitary international link from Denpasar (Bali).

See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Christ Church Cathedral

    Tour the inside and climb the tower, with a guided map.

  2. 02
    Nobbys Head

    Nobbys Island is connected to the mainland by a pier built using convict labour (completed in 1846).

  3. 03
    Newcastle Museum

    Opened in 2011, this museum is spread across three historic railway workshop buildings with permanent exhibitions on local history, the BHP steelworks and coal mining, and interactive science.

  4. 04
    Fort Scratchley

    A historic site which now houses a military museum.

  5. 05
    The Lock Up Cultural Centre

    Incorporates a police museum and the John Paynter Gallery, which hosts resident artists all year round.

  6. 06
    Newcastle Art Gallery

    The gallery houses a high quality collection of works by Australian artists, and stages its own and travelling exhibitions.

Do

Things to do

  1. 01
    ANZAC Walk

    A short bridge connecting Strzelecki lookout with Bar Beach along the ridgeline, honouring the ANZACs who fought in World War I.

  2. 02
    Hunter Wetlands Centre

    A regenerated 45-hectare wetlands area adjacent to Hexham Swamp.

  3. 03
    Blackbutt Reserve

    A natural bushland area which is full of native animals, picnic areas, wildlife exhibits, bushwalking trails, and children's playgrounds.

  4. 04
    Fernleigh Track

    A 15.5-km long cycling, walking and running trail that starts in the Newcastle suburb of Adamstown and ends in the Lake Macquarie suburb of Belmont.

  5. 05
    Bar Beach

    Regarded by many as the best of a range of beaches that ring the city.

  6. 06
    Nobbys Beach

    One of the safer beaches to swim at, fairly close to the city and Newcastle train station.

Eat

Where to eat

Most of the city's restaurants and cafés can be found along three main eatery strips: Honeysuckle Drive in Honeysuckle, Darby Street in Cooks Hill and Beaumont Street in Hamilton.

  1. 01
    Civic Lunch Delights

    Larrie's, 99 Frederick Street Merewether.

  2. 02
    Euro Patisserie

    Mon–Fri 7AM–4PM; Sat 7AM–3PM; Sun 8AM–2PM.

  3. 03
    Goldbergs Coffee House

    A busy Darby St stalwart, offers large meals and a good location for people-watching.

  4. 04
    Suspension Espresso

    3 Beaumont Street, Islington (turn right out of Hamilton Station and walk about 2 minutes down Beaumont Street),.

  5. 05
    Blue Door Cafe

    364 Hunter Street (Just off Wheeler Place).

How locals move

Getting around Waratah the local way

  • Get aroundThere is a single ferry service between and , costing $2.40 each way, also using Opal cards.

From Wikivoyage: Newcastle (New South Wales), CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.