Merewether: Home of Surfest and the Southern Hemisphere's Largest Ocean Baths
Merewether is officially recognised as a National Surfing Reserve, and it's earned that status: the beach has hosted stages of the international Surfest competition and produced a long line of competitive surfers out of Newcastle. It's a consistent, open beach break running between Dixon Park to the north and Burwood Beach to the south, with enough exposure to catch swell most of the year.
Just north of the sand sit the Merewether Ocean Baths — twin saltwater pools opened in 1935 and still the largest ocean baths in the Southern Hemisphere — a popular alternative when the surf itself is too rough to swim in. The whole stretch forms the southern end of Newcastle's Bathers Way coastal walk, and this stream covers the main beach and surf break.