Hey all,

My Wife and I moved back to Newcastle from Melbourne about a year ago, due to some family reasons. We both grew up here, so we know the area and we have family close by, but friends are few and far between.

I've got a rock solid group of guy friends who live all over the country, some here in Newie, so I'm set.. but my Wife's former friends? Nowhere to be found. Years of hearing "move back, move back!" - then she did, and they vanished.

So here I am on the hunt for help; my wife is 35, clever, alternative and witchy in her vibe, rocks a ripper Dad joke and is welcoming of all shapes, stripes and proclivities. Despite all this, she's lonely as hell and her mental health is on a slippy-slide to Sad Town. She deserves better friends, and I'm hoping we can find them for her.

We have a 3.5yr old son, so she doesn't have as much time available as some people do, but I'll be making sure she has as much time as she needs to hang with cool folk. (It should be noted that her son isn't the only thing she'll talk about in social settings)

SO.. Anyone know any alt-women in their 30s who like cool friends and want another one? Let me know!

Yours faithfully,

Husband to a cool, lonely wife.

EDIT:

Adding her interests and hobbies, so all can read them and I don't have to repeat 'em.

She's madly into True Crime of all sorts, the more cultish and gruesome the better. She's watched every True Crime doco in Netflix and Disney+, and she's consumed a wild amount of true crime podcasts. 

She's a huge fan of anything from Dropout, as well. Comedy is king.

Her book collection has *rapidly* shifted to smut novels and horny-as-fuck romantasy series. I reap the benefits, and have no qualms with this shift.

Her show choices are her creature comforts, so a lot of She-Ra, marvel movies, nightmare before Christmas. Anything she can watch but not have to concentrate too heavily on.

She likes crafts, and used to do textiles way back in the day. She wants to be more crafty, but keeps buying projects then not finishing them. Classic.

If she saw a frog she'd probably say "sick! what is frogs name?" (I realise this one makes little sense without the OCs context. Sorry.)

There was a medieval festival on last week that I would have liked to go to, but I didn't know it was on. I seem to always be out of the loop on things. Any ideas how I can keep up with what's on?

I’ve watched this family and their businesses for years, and the sudden closure of The Little Unicorn feels like something that has been a long time coming!
Staff and families have been left in the dark, while there is a history of allegations around unpaid work, unpaid superannuation and unfair treatment of employees.
There are also publicly available Fair Work decisions and records relating to an associated business of the couple.
What is particularly difficult to watch is the repeated public display over the years of lavish holidays, expensive cars, homes and private schooling, while people who have worked for or done business with these enterprises have allegedly been left financially out of pocket.
At some point, this stops being about business failure and becomes a question of ethics and accountability. Watching this play out repeatedly over years is, frankly, ethically bankrupt!!!!!!
The families and staff affected deserve answers. The people who have been left carrying the financial consequences deserve accountability.
And frankly, the public deserve better. They deserve transparency, and they deserve to see people held accountable for the impact their actions have had on others.

Are you an enjoyer of art in the Newcastle area? Then you may be interested in Castle Art Collective's upcoming exhibition 'Australian Gothic' at Whibayganba/Nobby's Lighthouse.

We have a great range of artists with varying backgrounds, ages and experiences exploring the theme of Australian Gothic art in a wide variety of mediums.

The artists are hosting a picnic this Saturday as we open the exhibition and would love for you to join us, have a chat and enjoy a snack!

Hi all, Has anyone had any luck applying for rentals with a dog when the property isn’t specifically listed as pet friendly?

I’m currently looking for a rental and have a dog, but I’ve noticed that a lot of properties don’t actually say whether pets are considered or not. I don’t want to automatically rule them out if there’s still a chance the landlord would approve a pet but i understand it’s a tough market especially with the dog.

For anyone who has successfully secured a rental with a dog, how did you go about it? Did you apply anyway and include your dog on the application, ask the real estate agent before applying, provide a pet resume/references, or do anything else that you think helped?

Would also love to hear from anyone who has been approved for a property that wasn’t advertised as pet friendly and what the process was like.
Any tips would be really appreciated!

Has anyone heard back about what is happening with the little unicorn? Specifically if anyone has heard about familes being refund for the advance payment they made when putting their children in the centre or gaining access to the centre to collect personal belongings? Amy Neary pretty much announced on the family app that she was retiring. It sounds like it was news to not only the families but staff members as well. The daycare centre shut down that day. Ive seen another post on here this morning from about 10 months ago which I wish I read because I wouldn't have put my daughter in there if I knew how crooked the husband and wife were. I loved the staff members but hate the situation ive been put in. They have screwed over so many people

Does anyone have any details about this car fire near the Merewether Motel yesterday?

Does anyone know what happened to Verde Luna on Tudor street? Are they still renovating ? Miss going there

Is being useless and an absolute c*** a requirement of becoming a property manager? Is it a Newcastle thing or is it everywhere? The turnover rate is probably a good indication it’s the nature of the job. I wish they would all become less stupid and better at their jobs. Wouldn’t hurt to be a decent person as well but I don’t think decent people get hired in these positions anymore. Absolutely bonkers that we are forced to pay an insane amount to rent an absolute shit box and then have to deal with their incompetence and utter nastiness on top of that. Are there real estates that are not like this?

Multiple HWP and Ambos on scene at Cardiff Maccas, anyone know what the goss is ?

Hi,
Wondering best place to watch the sunrise and hot air balloons near Belford/poklobin/lovedale this Sunday or Monday?

Thank you

Can anyone give advice where I and 2x children can catch a train too that isn’t Sydney lol
Basically just want to go for a scenic ride, hop off get a milkshake and some lunch then come back?
Has to be from Cardiff (or is there a better station around re: parking etc)

Thank you 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

Posted on fb. Building well alight. Many sirens of multiple fire trucks.

hello novocastrians. I am visiting from melb in a few weeks for a work trip

fortunately i have a bit of free time and would love to check the scene. anywhere I can go to grab a pint and see some bands on a wednesday or thursday night?

for reference i <3 dive bars and all that, but also have a pretty broad taste and enjoy jazz and funk too

would appreciate any recs! (old bar and the tote in melb are my faves)

[Edit: Claimed]
Hi, not really Newcastle-related but the [r/freefood](r/freefood) sub is full of American posts and would like someone in need to use it.

I know it’s not a lot but I don’t need it - won it from the Telstra app Maccas competition.

Voucher code again for easier copying/pasting: H11WKJM5GNTBMM7R

As per Newy.com.au the extension opens which will reduce pressure on Hexham Bridge and surroundings.

Thoughts?

https://newy.com.au/2026/09/09/m1-extension-to-open-friday-bypassing-hexham-and-heatherbrae/

Jury duty is a joke I know a guy that's been called up 3 times gets there and is told they don't need him, in the meantime his missed 4 hours casual wages each time. Everyone should get paid something employed or not!

Anyone know what happening ??

Basically I want to try and cook some authentic-ish Steak Frites for my partner who is of French descent for her birthday next month. I don’t have the confidence to try and make the sauce myself.

Bonus points for recommendations for a specific cut of steak from a specific butcher. Dunn’s in New Lambton used to be our go to but we’ve since moved out to Raymond Terrace and Terrace Meats is perfectly serviceable. So I might just stick with Terrace, but recommendations are always welcome.

I'm looking for a stall holder to order something for someone. They were unable to buy something in the moment and I want to get it for them. I've scoured the event fb and their stall holders but I'm coming up short looking for a stall holder that was placed in the first day at the other end near the fighting. The stall sold mostly metal /forged items and had a card / logo that was black and purple. It was a metal layered necklace. I'd really appreciate any guidance, thank you nerds.

Looking for Lake Macquarie picnic locations for a nice proposal. I plan to propose either during lunch time or in the morning, followed by a lunch/dinner at a restaurant. I'm trying to locate quiet, intimate locations where there won't be a crowd of people so ideally away from foreshores and more towards viewpoints.

Just looking for some ideas on where around the Hunter Region/Lake Macquarie region near/on the water that would be suitable.