“We are expecting 96 cruise passengers at my Hunter Valley Farm” – Celebrity Edge visits Newcastle

• Celebrity Cruises have made their first ever visit to Newcastle.
• A local business owner explained the impact of this cruise tourism – 96 cruise passengers visited her farm.
• Newcastle is hoping to grow as a cruise destination.

Celebrity Cruises just made its first ever port call in Newcastle, marking a significant day for the cruise line and port of Newcastle alike. By length she’s the largest vessel to visit the port this season.

More than 4000 passengers and crew stopped off in the port to enjoy the city, Hunter region and its surrounds.

Newcastle has been looking to grow as a cruise port and stops like this go a long way towards achieving that growth.

Several councils and tourism bodies in the region, including Destination Sydney Surrounds North and the Newcastle Tourism Industry Group, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to grow cruise tourism, hoping to attract more ships and develop more touristic offerings for them when they arrive.

The visit is also especially welcome after two stops from Viking Venus and Viking Orion were cancelled last week, with the cruise lines blaming planned protesters from an environmental group, although the group says it will only interrupt ships carrying coal, not cruise ships.

Port Authority of NSW CEO John McKenna said: “From wine tasting in the Hunter Valley, to getting up close with Australian wildlife on the Central Coast and Port Stephens, and exploring Newcastle’s historic sites, this visit showcases why the region is a must-visit on Australia’s cruise map.” 

“Cruise visitation is a key driver of regional recovery and growth, and the passengers and crew aboard Celebrity Edge.

Hunter Valley Resort and Farm Proprietor, Philip Hele said this visit demonstrates the impact cruise tourism can have on small businesses.

“Newcastle cruise ship arrivals have a significant impact on small family businesses like mine. They bring new visitors straight into the Hunter Valley, filling our cellar doors, supporting our restaurants and turning first time guests into enthusiastic ambassadors for the region.

“Tomorrow, we are expecting 96 cruise passengers at my Hunter Valley Resort and Farm, which is a real highlight of the season for us. It brings energy to the property and supports local jobs.” 

Destination Sydney Surrounds North General Manager Glenn Caldwell says the Memorandum of Understanding has been successful in strengthening cruise tourism and local offerings.

“Through this agreement we’ve assisted local business owners to tap into the cruise economy with a number of new local offerings including a koala experience in Port Stephens, helicopter tours to the Hunter Valley, and boat cruises in Newcastle.

““Our on-ground Cruise Coordinator has secured local guides to accompany cruise ship passengers on shore excursion tours and worked with NTIG to onboard more than 50 wonderful Welcome Volunteers who give a warm welcome to cruise passengers stepping ashore – that’s an eightfold increase with more to come for the 2025/26 season. 

“We’ve also delivered cruise support to businesses via workshops in our region, in collaboration with Destination NSW, to help businesses create and deliver great experiences for the Newcastle cruise market.  We have also developed new website content to support the growth of cruise.”