IT may not have had Supercars pace or impact on neighbours, but organisers are hopeful the Hill to Harbour can have bigger ramifications for Newcastle in the years ahead. The race that winds from Bathers Way in Bar Beach through to Fort Scratchley, Honeysuckle and ultimately Carrington perhaps offers one of the best tours of Newcastle's natural assets. While many were feeling the strain in sore legs and feet on Monday, though, organisers are plotting to make it an even bigger drawcard. Race director Paul Humphries has hinted at plans to make Hill to Harbour this city's equivalent of Sydney's City2Surf, a run that draws many Hunter amateur athletes to the state capital to spend money and compete.
Why shouldn't that flow both ways?
The first weekend of April has become something of a signature one for this city in recent years. Depending upon tastes Novocastrians could take in the Newcastle Writers Festival or hit the Hill to Harbour. Weather scuppered plans for Le Diner En Blanc, a centrepiece of the city's food month in its third year and already a beloved institution, but failed to put a dent in wine country music fans enjoying Rod Stewart and Cyndi Lauper. That is not to mention Lake Macquarie's Sip and Savour festival and the plethora of other events with more niche audiences.
Supercars may define the idea of events in the city due to its enormous size - itself a point of contention given the lengthy periods of setting up and tearing down it requires - but the benefits these types of festivities can deliver are clear cut. Newcastle Writers Festival founder and director Rosemarie Milsom said the 10 years of celebrating stories and writers had injected an estimated $5 million into the city. Few traders who have reaped the benefit would be ungrateful for such support.
Destination NSW data from September shows that daytrip and overnight domestic visitors now rival international visitors for their spending in the Hunter. Both categories are up more than 20 per cent on the previous years, albeit COVID-19 was likely a factor in that discrepancy. What is clear, though, is that reasons for outsiders to visit the Hunter are both lucrative and attractive. Given they can also help us make the most of our brilliant surroundings, may the calendar remain so full.
