When I'm thinking about cathedrals, the old Australian industrial city of Newcastle (just north of Sydney) doesn't really spring to mind... sure, Sydney and Melbourne... and lots of places around the world... especially in Europe.
But here you have a pretty impressive Cathedral in the city of Newcastle! And it is pretty damn impressive... and with an equally impressive music program to boot!
When you are close up, it is quite astounding how big this place is. Again, you would think of larger places having this sort of imposing building... and those would be mostly large stones as well. This cathedral is quite interesting in that it is mostly brick... but that really does allow for some more interesting design features. But it definitely doesn't have that Gothic feeling of other cathedrals, but in some ways... I sort of prefer this!
But once you are inside, it is the same high arches and long and length worship halls... also known as concert spaces!
I don't know if it is something to with the abundance of craftspeople in the town... but there are some pretty intricate artefacts scattered around the church alcoves! For instance, this wooden spire to the holy water bowl. The detail is quite amazing!
Like many Australian cities... Newcastle lost quite a few people to the European wars of World War 1.... this was a time when Australia was still under the sway of the United Kingdom... despite being nation state in its own right. Hopefully, a past that we can learn from and not repeat again..
And as always, my favourite thing about churches and cathedrals are the stained glass windows... I always wander around admiring the vibrant colours and artwork. I wish I could install something similar in our house!