Newcastle East Street Circuit
Newcastle East Street Circuit at a glance
- Location
- Newcastle, New South Wales
- Type
- historic circuit (defunct)
- Length
- 2.641 km (1.641 mi)
- Turns
- 14
- Direction
- counter-clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt (public streets; track infrastructure removed and roads returned to normal use in 2024)
- Opened
- 2017
Track map and layout
The Newcastle East street circuit, in use from 2017 to 2023, laced together the beachfront and harbour-mouth streets east of the CBD - Wharf Road, Watt Street, Shortland Esplanade, Zaara Street, Scott Street, Parnell Place and Nobbys Road - for a 2.641 km, 14-turn lap run counter-clockwise. Cars climbed a steep 1-in-22 hill up Watt Street across the light rail tracks before dropping onto the beachside run along Shortland Esplanade, and the fastest section of the lap, Nobbys Road, ended in a tight left-handed hairpin through the Camp Shortland car park near the harbour breakwall. Two purpose-built roundabouts had to be removed to create the circuit; when the event ended, the City of Newcastle reinstated both roundabouts and the roads reverted to everyday traffic in 2024.
Named corners and sections
- Watt Street hill. A steep 1-in-22 climb up Watt Street, crossing the Newcastle Light Rail tracks shortly after the start of the lap.
- Camp Shortland hairpin. A tight left-hand hairpin through the Camp Shortland car park at the end of Nobbys Road, the fastest section of the circuit.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-2023 layout | 2.64 km | 14 turns; the only configuration used across all four editions of the event |
Events and race weekends
The Newcastle 500 ran at the Newcastle East circuit in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2023, with no race held from 2020 to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each edition paired two 250 km races over a three-day weekend as a round of the Supercars Championship, and the 2023 event doubled as the first race weekend held under the sport's new Gen3 regulations. After years of resident opposition to the event's nine-week bump-in and bump-out around the foreshore, and a breakdown in contract talks between the NSW Government and the City of Newcastle, the race was cancelled in October 2023 and has not returned to the Supercars calendar since.
Getting there and parking
There is no event to travel to any more, but the former circuit streets sit in Newcastle East, an easy walk from the CBD. Newcastle Airport, about 25 km and a 25-minute drive north-west of the city, is the nearest airport, and Newcastle's main railway interchange is a short walk or bus ride from the old Wharf Road start line. Visitors curious about the site need nothing more than the normal route into Newcastle East.
- Newcastle Airport (NTL) · about 25 min drive
Parking
Ordinary street and CBD parking rules apply now that the roads have reverted to everyday use; there is no event-related parking to plan around.
Fort Scratchley, Nobbys Beach and the Newcastle Ocean Baths sit right alongside the old circuit route, so a walk around the former track doubles as a stroll through Newcastle East's main visitor attractions.
Hotels and camping near Newcastle East Street Circuit
With no event to plan around, there is no particular need to book early. Newcastle East, Newcastle CBD and Honeysuckle all sit within walking distance of the old circuit and offer the city's main concentration of hotels, from budget chains to harbourside apartments, making any of them a convenient base for visiting the former track and its foreshore surroundings.
Where to look
Newcastle East, the CBD and Honeysuckle all sit within walking distance of the former circuit and hold the bulk of Newcastle's hotel accommodation.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
The Newcastle East circuit was always a temporary closure of ordinary city streets for four race weekends between 2017 and 2023; it never had a resident trackday or ride day program even while the Newcastle 500 was running. Since the event's 2023 cancellation, the two roundabouts removed to build the circuit have been reinstated and the roads carry normal Newcastle traffic, so there is no way to drive the former layout at all today.
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supercars (Gen2) | 1:10.6403 | David Reynolds | Holden Commodore VF | 2017 |
| Supercars (Gen3) | 1:12.5355 | Shane van Gisbergen | Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 | 2023 |
Spectator guide
When the race ran, grandstands and general-admission areas lined the Newcastle Beach and Nobbys foreshore, giving fans harbour views alongside the racing, while balconies and rooftops on nearby apartment buildings offered informal vantage points outside the ticketed zones. None of that infrastructure remains: the foreshore has been restored for public use and there is no spectator facility to visit today.
Seating
Temporary grandstands once lined Newcastle Beach and the Nobbys foreshore near the start/finish on Wharf Road; none of this remains in place today.
Best places to watch
Not applicable - the event is discontinued and no spectator areas exist at the site.
Weather
- Nov: The 2017-2019 races ran in November; Newcastle's coast is mild then, typically 17-24°C with a moderate chance of rain
- Mar: The final 2023 race moved to March as the season opener; similarly mild conditions, generally 17-25°C
History of Newcastle East Street Circuit
A street circuit built for Supercars
Newcastle East had never hosted motor racing before construction crews closed off Wharf Road, Watt Street, Shortland Esplanade and the Nobbys foreshore in 2017 to build a purpose-built Supercars street circuit. The event was struck as a replacement for the outgoing Sydney 500 at Sydney Olympic Park, and the inaugural Newcastle 500 in November 2017 produced a title-deciding finish, with the championship settled in the closing minutes after a late penalty. The Ford Falcon ran its final full-time season there in 2018, the same weekend Craig Lowndes completed his last full-time drive, and by 2019 the event was a fixture on the calendar - albeit one that produced controversy when Scott McLaughlin and David Reynolds clashed and the fallout coloured team relations for months.
Pandemic gap and a final race
COVID-19 border closures wiped the event from the calendar for 2020, 2021 and 2022. It returned in March 2023 as the season opener under Supercars' new Gen3 regulations, but the race ended in controversy when race winners Shane van Gisbergen and Broc Feeney were disqualified for a pit-lane technical breach, promoting Cameron Waters to victory.
Cancellation and demolition
Behind the scenes, resident opposition had been building for years over the noise, dust and nine-week street closures the build required. A council survey found a majority of locals did not want the event to continue, and when the state government and City of Newcastle could not agree on new contract terms, the 2023 race turned out to be the last. Newcastle's council confirmed the cancellation in October 2023 and voted soon after to remove the circuit's permanent sections; the two roundabouts that had been dug up to build the track were reinstated in 2024, returning Newcastle East's streets to ordinary traffic.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Newcastle 500 still run?+
No. The 2023 race was the last. After resident opposition and a funding dispute between the NSW Government and City of Newcastle, the council confirmed the event's cancellation in October 2023, and it has not returned to the Supercars calendar since.
Can you still visit the Newcastle street circuit?+
Yes, but only as ordinary streets. Newcastle East's roads reverted to everyday traffic once the circuit's two removed roundabouts were reinstated in 2024; nothing marks the old racing line beyond the streets themselves.
How long was the Newcastle street circuit?+
The 2.641 km (1.641 mile), 14-turn layout ran counter-clockwise through Newcastle East and was used, largely unchanged, for all four editions of the race between 2017 and 2023.
Why did the Newcastle 500 end?+
A majority of surveyed residents opposed the event's long bump-in and bump-out period, and when the NSW Government and City of Newcastle could not agree on new contract terms, the council did not approve a renewal beyond 2023.
Who holds the Newcastle street circuit lap record?+
Shane van Gisbergen set the fastest race lap, 1:12.5355, in a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at the final 2023 event, run under Supercars' Gen3 regulations.
What is the nearest airport to the former Newcastle circuit?+
Newcastle Airport (NTL), about 25 km and a 25-minute drive from Newcastle East.
Other tracks nearby
- Amaroo Park · 113 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Sydney Olympic Park Street Circuit · 122 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Sydney Motorsport Park · 129 km · road course
- Oran Park Raceway · 155 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Catalina Park · 163 km · historic circuit (defunct)
- Mount Panorama Circuit, Bathurst · 215 km · street circuit
Facts checked against 5 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-10.