Merewether Surfhouse

Newcastle’s answer to Sydney's Bondi Icebergs is every bit as spectacular, with sweeping ocean views and an awesome array of food offerings, day and night. A swish café on the promenade does lavish breakfasts, the beachside pizza shop bakes primo pies and gelati while the Surfhouse grill on the top level is a marvel of mod-Oz cuisine from Damien Pignolet, where local seafood and sweet pasture-fed meats die well when paired with a massive and parochial wine list. But what packs them in on weekends are the bottomless mussel buckets – how many can you do?