Free face painting and balloon magic these school holidays
Supercars Thrifty Newcastle 500 returns to the Newcastle foreshore for another year of action packed racing and entertainment.
With big crowds expected to attend the three-day event, the best way to get there is by public transport. Newcastle Transport will operate additional light rail services, ferry services and bus services throughout the weekend.
Travel is included in your event ticket, so please remember to keep your ticket safe for your return journey as you must have a valid ticket when travelling on public transport.
Road closures and special event clearway parking restrictions will be in place on major roads in Newcastle so attendees are encouraged to leave the car at home and catch public transport instead to avoid traffic delays. For information regarding ticketing, train services, parking and walking head to transportnsw.info for details.
Download the event map to find your way.
A number of additional bus services will run to get you to and from Newcastle over the three-day event. Some bus services will be affected by road closures and will be detouring from their regular routes or using temporary bus stops. Make sure to plan your bus trip ahead of time and check signs at stops.
Buses to and from Newcastle East will be diverting and using alternate stops while changed traffic conditions are in place before, during and after the event.
All services will be relocated to alternate stops on Bolton St from Monday 27 February and additional services on selected routes will run to help you get to and from the event. From Bolton St, Gate 2 on Hunter St and Gate 3 off Watt St are within short walking distance.
Extra services will run on routes 11, 12, 13, and 14 on event days. All services will run to and from Bolton St.
Friday
Saturday:
Sunday:
Routes 11, 13, 14, 21, 23 and 55N
Route 12
Route 55N
55N Night Owl Service will commence from Bolton St before King St. Services will return to normal on Saturday 18 March.
School services
Information for coaches
Drop-off & Pick-up:
Schools on Track – Friday 10 March: The designated Coach drop off & pick up location is on Honeysuckle Drive near Worth Place or Bolton St near Church St. A map will be available closer to the time.
Event weekend Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 March: The designated Coach drop off & pick up location is on Honeysuckle Drive near Worth Place. A map will be available closer to the time.
From there, access to the circuit via Gate 1A or 1B is a 1.1km walk along the waterfront.
Coaches will not be permitted to park, layover or wait at the pick-up location for more than 10 minutes.
Coach / private bus layover area:
A designated layover area will be available on Darling Street near Newcastle Racecourse in Broadmeadow for coaches and private buses that require space to layover from Friday to Sunday during the event.
A map will be available closer to the time.
Coaches and/or school mini buses will not be permitted to layover at Honeysuckle Drive. Coaches will be towed from the area and a towing fee will apply.
For bus service disruption information, check travel alerts or plan your trip using the Trip Planner
Ferries run regularly between Stockton and Queens Wharf in Newcastle. You can drive and park at Stockton Wharf and continue your trip across to Newcastle by ferry. Gate 1 is a short walk from Queens Wharf along the waterfront via the Foreshore footpath.
Ferries between Stockton and Queens Wharf operating times:
For ferry service disruption information, check travel alerts or plan your trip using the Trip Planner
Newcastle Light Rail runs regularly between Newcastle Interchange and Newcastle Beach making stops at Honeysuckle, Civic, Crown St and Queens Wharf along the way.
From 1am Thursday 9 March until 5am Tuesday 14 March services will start and end at Queens Wharf instead of Newcastle Beach while race track infrastructure is in place.
Services between Newcastle Interchange and Queens Wharf will run frequently during the event from the early morning until after midnight. From Queens Wharf, access to the event precinct via Gate 1 is a short walk away along the foreshore.
Friday 10 March
Light rail services will run every 7-8 minutes between 7am and midnight, with higher frequency during peak periods.
Saturday 11 March
Light rail services will run every 7-8 minutes between 7am and midnight, with higher frequency during peak periods.
Sunday 12 March
Light rail services will run every 7-8 minutes between 7am and 8pm, and every 15 minutes until 1am.
Light rail service changes
For light rail service disruption information, check travel alerts or plan your trip using the Trip Planner
Fans will be treated to two nights of entertainment at the Newcastle 500 on Friday 10th March and Saturday 11th March.
The concert will be held at Foreshore Park within the precinct. For more details on the concerts head to supercars.com
Accessing public transport from the concert is easy:
Regular bus services will run to and from Bolton Street, a short 15-minute walk from the concert venue.
Light rail services will run frequently to and from Queens Wharf light rail stop which is a short walk along the waterfront via the Foreshore footpath.
Regular ferry services will operate between Queens Wharf and Stockton. The concert is a short walk along waterfront via the Foreshore footpath from the wharf.
The Newcastle Transport team is committed to providing the best possible experience throughout your public transport journey.
If you need assistance with planning your bus, ferry or light rail journey to the Newcastle 500, get in touch with the team by email, social media or face-to-face at the Newcastle Interchange.
