Maitland (New South Wales)
Maitland (population 67,000) is a town located in the Lower Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia.
Understand
Located on the banks of the Hunter river and just 30 minutes train or drive from Newcastle.
Get in
By car
The New England Highway connects Maitland with Newcastle to the south, and the Upper Hunter and New England regions to the north. It's 203 km (125 mi.) 2 hour drive along the M1 motorway from from Sydney. It is 542 km (336 mi.) from Canberra.
By train
The most practical and direct way of getting to Maitland by train is with with several NSW Trainlink regional trains service Maitland station daily from Sydney to the south and from the Northern Rivers and New England. Tickets must be booked in advance of travel.
If you have lots of time, and want a cheaper fare, from Sydney there are hourly trains, changing at Hamilton Station in Newcastle. The optimal travelling time by this route is 3 hours, although connections may easily extend the travel time to 4 hours. However, the service is cheap at around $8 with an Opal card or contact-less credit card.
Stations are 🌍 Victoria Street Station, 🌍 East Maitland Station, 🌍 High Street Station and 🌍 Maitland Station.
Get around
The train line connects Maitland and East Maitland by four stations. Buses are also available.
See
- 🌍 Maitland Gaol, 6-18 John St, East Maitland NSW 2323, ☎ +61 2 4936 6482. 9AM-4PM. A very, very freaky place to visit because whilst it is an old, imposing sandstone constructed prison, it has all the "mod cons" such as razor wire and CCTV mountings in place – it was still being used as a gaol within the past 15 years.
Do
- Hunter Valley Steamfest. Held in the Maitland Railway Station Precinct each year. A must see for anybody who likes trains, otherwise it may be wise to give Maitland a miss while it is on-many streets get closed for the event
- 🌍 Buttai Barn, Lings Rd, Buttai, ☎ +61 2 4930 3153. 9AM-5PM. A 20 minute drive out of town, for traditional bush dancing.
- Morpeth is a cute historical town on the outskirts of Maitland. Well worth visiting for a look at the cafes and boutique shops. Be warned though, Thursdays to Sundays are really the only days that are worth visiting- as many shops are closed at the beginning of the week.
- 🌍 Morpeth Jazz Festival, Roman Catholic Church Anglican Church Morpeth, ☎ +61 2 4933 3312, e-mail: info@chapeljazz.com. New Orleans style jazz festival held annually in September in the main street. Free though you can donate, buy raffle tickets, tea, coffee, etc. to keep the festival alive.
- 🌍 Bitter & Twisted Boutique Beer Festival, 6-18 John St, East Maitland NSW 2323, ☎ +61 2 4931 2888.
Buy
- Maitland Fair Markets. 1st Sunday of every month (except January) plus 15th Oct, 19th Nov, 17th Dec. Maitland Showground 8am-2pm.
Eat
- Molines Bistro, 266 Hermitage Road, Belford (7km west of Branxton on the New England Highway, left onto McDouall Street and on to Hermitage Road), ☎ +61 2 65747216. Molines is a small, careful rustic styled cafe serving lovingly prepared, delicious and subtle fine food. Outside in the sun is the best place to sit with a small group. Very limited choice for vegetarians. Entrees $25, mains $35.
- 🌍 The Old George and Dragon, 50 Melbourne St, East Maitland NSW 2323, ☎ +61 2 4933 1098. An old fashioned French or English menu. It does not look much from the outside and is located in a business or light industrial area but is well worth a visit.
Drink
Sleep
Go next
- Newcastle is 30 minutes away