Guide to Belmont New South Wales Australia

Belmont lies on a narrow strip of land with Lake Macquarie on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other, 20 kilometres south of Newcastle. It is the main town on the eastern shore of the lake and its sailing capital: on summer weekends the bay fills with racing skiffs and yachts. A long rail trail from Newcastle ends here, and behind the dunes a wild beach runs north for nine miles.

Known For

• Sailing, cruising and fishing on Lake Macquarie
• The southern end of the Fernleigh Track cycleway
• Nine Mile Beach and the Belmont wetlands

The town centre is strung along the Pacific Highway, a block from the lake. The foreshore has parkland, a jetty, a netted swimming enclosure and a marina, with wide views across Belmont Bay to the western hills. The ocean is only a kilometre and a half to the east, across a belt of wetlands.

Neighbouring lakeside suburbs run north to Warners Bay, and the highway continues south over the channel bridge to Swansea.

Things To Do in Belmont

On the Lake

Hire a kayak, paddle board or runabout, join a lake cruise, or simply watch the racing from the shore. The 16 foot skiff club on the waterfront is one of the best-known sailing clubs in the country, and visitors are welcome in its restaurant and bars. The jetty and breakwalls are popular fishing spots for bream, flathead and tailor.

Fernleigh Track

This sealed shared path follows a former coal railway for about 15 kilometres from Adamstown in Newcastle to Belmont, passing through bushland, wetlands and an old brick tunnel. A newer extension continues south towards Blacksmiths. It is nearly flat and one of the best family rides in the state.

Belmont Wetlands and Nine Mile Beach

East of the town, a state park protects lagoons, coastal forest and dunes. Walking tracks cross it to Nine Mile Beach, a long, undeveloped surf beach that runs north to Redhead. Four-wheel drives can go onto the sand with a permit. Swim only where there are patrols, at Redhead or Blacksmiths.

Golf

Belmont Golf Club is a links-style course laid out between the lake and the ocean, open to visitors, with sea breezes that make it a real test.

Lakeside Parks

The foreshore reserves have playgrounds, barbecues and a shared path. Sunset over the lake is the best time of day.

Where To Stay

Belmont has several motels along the highway, pub and club accommodation, and a lakeside holiday park with cabins and sites on the water’s edge.

It is a handy base for the whole eastern side of the lake, the southern beaches and Newcastle, 25 minutes away.

Eat & Drink

The sailing club’s waterfront restaurant and deck are the most popular place to eat, with broad lake views. The main street has cafes, bakeries, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian and Italian restaurants, and fish and chips to take to the park.

Hotels and other clubs serve bistro meals, and Warners Bay, ten minutes north, has a larger cafe strip on the water.

History

The lake and its shores are the country of the Awabakal people. In 1825 the missionary Lancelot Threlkeld set up a mission here and, with the Awabakal leader Biraban, recorded the local language, one of the first such studies in Australia.

The town was named in the 1860s after a settler’s birthplace in the Shetland Islands. Coal mining, timber and fishing supported it, and a branch railway from Newcastle operated until 1991; its route is now the Fernleigh Track.

Getting to Belmont

Belmont is on the Pacific Highway, 25 minutes from Newcastle and about an hour and 50 minutes from Sydney via the M1 and the Swansea exit. Frequent buses run from Newcastle and Charlestown.

Nearest Airport: Newcastle