Summer may have just ended but it is not too late to appreciate Newy’s beauty. Nikola Jokanovic gives you a run-down on the very best sunsets in town.

There’s an art to appreciating a good sunset. Part of it comes down to chance, it’s hard to predict whether you’ll get a crazy, multi-coloured end-of-day sendoff or if it’ll be one of those lame ones where it just gets darker until the stars start coming out (not bad either though). But another part of it comes down to where you are and what you’re doing; what angle are you from where the sun will be setting? How’s the view? Are there activities nearby to accompany and accentuate your sunset-watching? As a master of the Newy sunset, I’ve curated my top five sunset spots around town, coordinating between the above factors to bring you the very best sunset experience. Let’s start with:

That grassy hill next to the houses above the top carpark at Merewether Baths

A well-known Newy classic. Close to the baths so you can dip beforehand (or after if you are brave). Good for picnics, long talks, book reading and people-watching from a distance, plus a nice view of the ocean (see the photo below). This is a go-to, all-rounder spot – no downsides, but no notable upsides either. Try and be there on a slightly cloudy day; the angle of the sunset will make all the clouds pretty colours.

Redhead bluff

If you catch it on the right day, the Redhead bluff provides a banger sunset. I recommend bringing up some headphones with an album you’ve been digging recently and thinking about the lives of the ant-sized people down there on the beach. A plus at this spot is that you can swing down to Redhead beach for a late arvo dip, but a minus is that it’s a tad out of the way unless you’re a Lake Macquarie local (still well worth a trip or two though).

Bar Beach Carpark / ANZAC Memorial Walk

The big plus here is that there’s a bunch of stuff to do, all of which will accompany a sunset nicely. You can go up and down the cliffside and ANZAC Memorial Walk with a friend, sit in the car with the radio and some takeaway, go surfin’, play on one of the tennis walls – the opportunities are endless. Plus, people tend to walk their dogs a lot up and down the coast so you can get a good bit of dog-spotting in too.

Warners Bay

This is more of a walking spot, but the view of the sunset across the bay (with the sun setting directly opposite) makes it well worth any sunset-watching activity. Best suited for a nice long walk during the golden hour. This is also a Newy dog-walking hotspot, which gives it major points. 

Honeysuckle

This is the obligatory beer-drinkin’ spot on the list. There’s a nice view of the sunset, which slots directly down the space provided by the harbour’s corridor. Bring some friends and some banter.

Honourable Mention: any beach in Newy

Honestly, it’s one of the best parts of the warmer weather – that ridiculously late swim where the sun’s dragging itself down ever so slowly, and making a show of it too. This photo was taken at 7pm on Redhead beach last Summer:

All images provided by Nikola Jokanovic.