03 Oct Newy Tour Co on SBS World News: What Knights-Mania Means for Newcastle
On Friday 2 October, Newy Tour Co had a little bit of airtime on national television. SBS World News came to Newcastle to cover the Knights’ grand final run, and our co-founder Keira Bourke was interviewed for the story as a local tourism operator, standing in front of one of our tour vans.
As seen on SBS World News
Knights-mania: What a grand final win would mean for Newcastle
Watch the story on SBS News2 min 52 sec. Opens on the SBS News website.
What the SBS story was about
The Newcastle Knights are in their first men’s NRL grand final in 25 years, up against the Sydney Roosters, and the whole city has turned red and blue. The SBS report, “Knights-mania: What a grand final win would mean for Newcastle”, looks past the football to what the team’s success is doing for the town. Its focus is the lift local businesses are feeling, in a city that has transformed since its steelmaking days.
Where we came in
Part of the report looked at tourism, and that is where we came in. SBS noted that our day tours have international appeal, and Keira explained why.
“Those who are seeking authentic, off the beaten track experiences, we’ve actually had visitors from 48 different countries come on tour with us.”
Keira Bourke, Newy Tour Co, on SBS World News
Forty-eight countries is a number we are proud of. Newcastle is not on every international itinerary yet, but the travellers who do find their way here are usually looking for exactly that: somewhere real, a little off the usual track, shown to them by locals.
A city that keeps surprising people
That transformation is the story we tell on tour every week. The steelworks closed in 1999, and plenty of visitors still arrive expecting a steel town. They leave talking about the beaches, the harbour, the food and the street art.
A grand final puts Newcastle in front of people right around Australia, and many of them have never been here. If the Knights are what gets Newcastle onto your screen, we hope the city itself is what gets you here.
Coming to Newcastle?
Whether you are in town for the footy or planning a trip for later, here is where we would start:
- Newcastle City Highlights and Coastal Tour: harbour, headlands and history in a single morning.
- Food and Street Art Walking Tour: three hours on foot through Newcastle East, with five tastings along the way.
- Hunter Valley Wine Tour: a full day in wine country, about an hour from the city.
Thank you to the SBS News team for including us. Go the Knights.
Image: SBS World News.
Keep reading: our 2026 Best Tourism Experience award and things to do in Newcastle.
