I was up at RTA's Call Centre in Newcastle (no, not the one
-Upon-Tyne) for a couple of days attempting to sort through things, just got back last night.
Although work had paid for a night's
accommodation, I still feel a bit ripped off since the things I went up there to sort out didn't work, through no fault of mine.
Avoiding the extended rant about work, let me quickly add a big "thanks" to
CityRail for yet again having trackwork, meaning my trips up there and back were interrupted by changes to buses. Not fun at all.
I managed to find some time to wander around Newcastle a bit - it's quite scenic around the harbour, and the old streets have a bit of character as you wander up the hill. Would like to give it more of a chance at some point in the future.
One thing that really stood out, even more than the couple of previous times I've been there and noticed the same is that all along Hunter street (the main road in/out), what used to be interesting little shops and entertainment venues are now derelict, with notices of intended development (ie. knocking down and replacing with apartment blocks) everywhere you look.
That makes the road an interesting look forward into the future that the government's
plan for 7000 more apartment blocks in Sydney would look like - just substitute Hunter Street for Parramatta Road, and multiply many many times.