Newcastle Winter Solstice

A Jeffrey Smartesque image of my wife pushing the buggy

Leap of Faith - fishing off Nobbys

Apparently their beak can hold more than their belly-can

Cowrie Hole - the nestle of homes facing the ocean

Newcastle Baths - with mushroom pumphouse

Apartments in Newcastle Beach #1

Apartments on Newcastle Beach #2

Apartments on Newcastle Beach #3

And this little fellow fell off his mother's back - he's been taken to the RSPC

Merewether Property Guides

We get plenty of searchers looking for Merewether Real Estate and Merewether Property Guides, so we thought we should share our local guide on who sells houses in Merewether.  In a competitive market, we have limited the picks to the top seven, so we are sharing this list in no particular order and based purely on our own decision.

Choosing the right property in Merewether is not simply a question of location, aspect and pricepoint - there are other things to take into consideration - like personality, service and marketing style.  Hope you like our selection of Merewether property specialists and feel free to share you thoughts in the comments section below.

 Merewether Real Estate

McGrath Real Estate Merewether

At McGrath Newcastle City, we want to be known as the Number One choice when it comes to property management and sales in the Newcastle region. Our extensive knowledge of the Newcastle area, coupled with the unrivalled quality of service that has become synonymous with McGrath throughout Australia, allows us to obtain the best results for our clients.

Merewether Property Agents

Walkom Merewether Real Estate Agency

Walkom Real Estate is Newcastle’s most experienced and respected real estate agent. We specialise in residential sales, fine homes, investment property, commercial property, developments, and property management.  Nobody knows the Newcastle property market better than Walkom Real Estate. We’ve been helping people to buy, sell and rent homes and apartments since 1961. Five of our sales team have more than 20 years experience in the local property market.

Merewether Real Estate - Robinson

Robinson RE Merewether

Robinson Property has been established for over 40 years and has become a market leader in suburban, inner city and beachside residential sales and management.  Our team of professionals have over 300 years of combined business and professional experience between them. With qualifications in accounting, management and marketing, we believe we have the skills to provide our customers a successful outcome.

Merewether Real Estate - Dalton

Dalton Partners Merewether House For Sale

When you decide to put your home or investment property for sale or lease, you want expert advice, reliable support and regular feedback.  You need an agent who knows the market, set achievable goals and gets you the 'best price possible'!  Newcastle home-owners appreciate our partnership approach.  They're increasingly choosing Dalton Partners to sell their most important asset.  Dalton Partners have branches at the Junction and New Lambton and are regarded as one of the city's leading independent agencies.

 Merewether Property Agency

Merewether Century 21 Homes for sale

Established in The Junction in 1974 by foundation Director “John Wragge”, Century 21 Five Star Properties has continued to develop its business around sound local knowledge, absolute honesty and integrity, and a personal level of service, second to none in the City. As principal, Wayne Stewart notes that success should not be measured by being the biggest, but by the highest percentage of satisfied customers.

 Merewether Property Guides

Merewether Ray White Property

 When you engage us as your Agents, we undertake to keep you completely informed as to the state of the market as it affects your property and we ensure that you can make a fully informed decision when a buyer is found. All of our sales staff are graduates of the Ray White Sales Course. They regularly attend seminars to ensure that you are properly advised, to ensure that your property receives the maximum exposure to the market and, most importantly, to ensure that you obtain the highest possible price in the shortest possible time.

  Merewether Home Prices

Merewether Real Estate Auction

 Chapman Property has been synonymous with Property Management and Real Estate in Newcastle and the Hunter since 1971.  From humble beginnings and 3 staff members, Chapman Property has grown to be one of the most active and successful Property Management and Real Estate firms in the region with more than 25 trained and highly skilled staff.

 As you can see, the Merewether Property Market is well serviced by well qualified and experienced real estate agencies.  Good Luck in your search for the perfect property in Merewether.

A Fox Visits

Black Australorp Hen pecking

MOST MORNINGS, I LET the chickens out after breakfast, but on Sunday I did something different.  I let the chickens out early, before we went to Nippers at Bar Beach.  So they were scratching around outside before 8am.

Sunday was an overcast day, grey skies lingering until late afternoon and some decent showers before sunset.  I worked inside all day, barely going out except to have a stretch at lunchtime.  I did notice some kerfuffle with the chickens early in the day, with some clucking and squwarking, but then that was sort of usual after one had laid an egg.  It wasn't until late afternoon when I noticed old Rosie clucking around at the back steps by herself, that I gulped and felt a squirt of adrenalin - where were the other birds?  Nervous it wasn't a red fox. 


I grabbed my daughter and we trudged down the backyard.  Just one other bird.  10 gone.  It was obviously a fox.   We walked all around the property and along through the bush - all we found were a couple of wispy feather rings and one cold corpse with the head missing.

So long chichens - is always sad to lose a brilliant egg team.  And we had just been sharing a dozen eggs every few days with our friends.

Newcastle Live Sites

Every year we go to the Winter Heat Festival in Newcastle and every year we bump into Ben and his kids, and Clare and Ross. 

Goes to show there are a loyal band of followers of this mid winter event and that the energy of flames always draws people in.

This year, the event was alongside the Honeysuckle precinct and there was a definite gourmet edge to the stalls - we missed the little pancakes on a skewer - and trying to get a cool non-alcoholic drink was simply not possible. 

That said there was a stunning parade of bamboo and tissue paper marine creatures - held aloft by a dozens of primary school children.

Is worth visiting every year and we were very grateful for the lady handing out free glowsticks. 

Also, on asking a man where he bought the flashing halo head piece, he said there weren't any left, and then gave us his! 

So we were once again impressed with the good nature of the people of Newcastle.

Treehouses

Spring is such a fresh, rebuilding time of year and with today's gentle rain the garden looks shiny green and new. New shoots on top of the bare stalks of the red cedars, the lime spears of the new kentia fronds, and the curled bronze furry fingers of the tree ferns. The plants are emerging from the doldrums of August (and my writing hiatus is over) and you can almost hear the crackling, slurping noise of the leaves growing.

The back track is taking shape with the gravel path, and the final part of the backyard stairs has been laid out with some great recycled sandstone pieces. I have cut out the treads and placed the stones in the spaces to work the best arrangement. It is still wonky to walk on but when I get hold of a cement mixer I will be able to bed them down more permanently.

Treehouse is the next stage of planning, as we are putting the girls Christmas money towards building a tree house instead of more and more plastic toys. Have been scoping for sites to build the house and have settled on a eucalypt in the backyard. Just have to get access to it at a safe height, it is about six metres off the ground.

The Simple Life Crossroads

Taking the road less travelled has had its moments. Both Good and Bad. Right now I'm on the cusp of a major change, but the fear has me momentarily frozen.

When I dropped out of law school and rejected what I saw as the meaningless culture of networking and career climbing, I knew it would be more challenging than following the herd into the safety of the corporate cage. I was taking a risk, forsaking the chubby comfort of a safe if predictable career path and taking a punt backing myself. Whilst this has worked spectacularly well most of the time, there are, of course, times when things go awry and I need to re-align my life direction. Like now.

But in saying that, there is a distinct difference between us and our friends, who are rushing off on trips and knocking down walls to remodel their houses. But also working seven day weeks and having their children in care most days of the week.
Whilst it can be odd at times, I value the long weekday mornings spent with my children and pottering around in the chicken house after breakfast. We have a mortgage still, but we love this big old house and the big garden is such a great way to share time.
So keeping it simple is working for us, even if it does not have the instantly recognizable status of a new SUV or bragging rights of a holiday to the snowfields.

Our financial expectations have changed in the last couple of years - with two children, our dream house and our business humming along, I have reached a point where I am ready to take the next risky step beyond my comfort zone. Only the question is - which way should I leap?

My research has offered my so many options I am frozen with anticipation and possibility - should I do this or this or this? And making a decision to commit myself wholeheartedly towards a particular path is not the end of the world, but it is the end of the decision process. So I guess I am indulgently basking in the glow of opportunities, and it is indulgent, imagining being one thing one week, then another the very next day. So, I will keep thinking for a bit longer, and going on long walks alone to the beach to discover exactly what it is I am meant to choose.