Maitland

Maitland www.maitland.nsw.gov.au (population 50 100) is a small city located in the Lower Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia.

The New England Highway connects Maitland with Newcastle to the south, and the Upper Hunter and New England regions to the north. It's 203 km (125 mi.) to Sydney and 542 km (336 mi.) to Canberra.

Maitland Gaol-it is a very, very freaky place to visit because whilst it is an old, imposing sandstone constructed prison, it has all the "mod cons" such as razor wire and CCTV mountings in place-it was stll being used as a gaol within the past 15 years

• Hunter Valley Steamfest. Held in the Maitland Railway Station Precinct each year. A must see for anybody who likes trains, otherwise it may be wise to give Maitland a miss while it is on-many streets get closed for the event
• Visit Buttai Barn (Lings Rd, Buttai, ph (02) 4930 3153) a short drive out of town, for traditional bush dancing. http://www.buttaibarn.com.au
• Morpeth is a cute historical town on the outskirts of Maitland. Well worth visiting for a look at the cafes and boutique shops. Be warned though, Thursdays to Sundays are really the only days that are worth visiting- as many shops are closed at the beginning of the week.

• Maitland Fair Markets. 1st Sunday of every month (except January) plus 15th Oct, 19th Nov, 17th Dec. Maitland Showground 8am-2pm.

• Visit the historic village of Morpeth

• Cool shopping center, lots to see • Kitten DiAmante