Haven't read this whole thread Margo, but I'm a born and bred Newcastle gal!
Loves it here, though it does seem to be filling up with unemployed bogans......much to my OH's dismay. It's changed a lot since I was a child - in my opinion, not all for the better either, but hey it's sad to see a once proud town die slowly from the inside out.
Still, I wouldn't raise my children anywhere else, my OH is originally from Sydney - he's a lot more "multicultural" aware so thought...actually still thinks Newcastle is a place full of "rednecks". Funny, he's a blonde haired - blue eyed angel, and I'm the eurasian, so on a superficial level, people would probably think I'm the outsider and he's the novocastrian lolz!
I'd rather be hated for who/what I am rather than be loved for what I'm not.