Located 162 kilometres from Sydney, Newcastle is the city with the second highest population in New South Wales. This town was founded next to the Hunter River, which was named after the New South Wales Governor of the time. Not long after the town was established in 1802, it was found that the land contained an abundant amount of coal. As a result, coal began to be exported and is now the world's leader in coal exports, with approximately 80 million tones of coal being exported in 2005-2006.
Although the initial purpose of Newcastle was as a penal settlement, the majority of convicts were taken to Port Macquarie in 1823. Due to this change, free settlers were encouraged to live in Newcastle and the town began to grow.
In 2006, the population of Newcastle was approximately 290,000 people. The temperature can get relatively hot during summer, however the average maximum temperature in the daytime is approximately 25 degrees Celsius, with temperatures falling to an average of 18 to 19 degrees Celsius at night. In the winter, the average maximum daytime temperature is 17 degrees Celsius, with an average minimum temperature at night of 9 degrees Celsius.
Newcastle has many dominant architectural buildings, including the Christ Church Cathedral, which was built in the early 1800's. Other buildings include Fort Scratchley, the Ocean Baths and the Customs House. The University of Newcastle, established in 1951, now is the learning centre for 20,000 students.
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