Newcastle's beaches were packed on Easter Monday as locals soaked up the last bit of sun for a while.
Novocastrians flocked to Newcastle beach and the Newcastle Ocean Baths to cool-off in almost 30 degrees.
Sunbathers lay by the waters edge, surfers took to the waves, and kids showed off their backflip skills.
Isikeli Tavola spent the hot day backflipping and jumping into the ocean baths.
"I'm going to stay in the water all day," he said.
Mr Tavola rose bright and early at 3am to catch the sunrise.
He said he planned to stay at oceans baths for most of the day and head to Nobbys beach later on.
Making the most of the beach weather, the Dillon-Smith and the Morrison families played crossnet, a mix between volleyball and handball.
Caitlin Dillon-Smith said her children and their cousins were enjoying the Easter long weekend with friends and family.
Taking a break from the fast-paced game, Ms Dillon-Smith fetched sunscreen as the sun beat down.
"It's been a bit of a warmer Easter than usual," she said.
"Usually the kids are in their flannel pajamas instead of their swimmers."
Ms Dillon-Smith said her family had spent the summer camping, boating and hanging out at the beach.
"We love just getting out, and making the most of the summer days," she said.
As the weather cools into autumn, the Dillon-Smiths will ditch the sand for the bush.
"We are going to head to Glenrock, go bike riding, and bushwalking," Ms Dillon-Smith said.
Rain on the way
The sunny Easter weekend will be likely followed by cooler temperatures and a week of rain.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has forecasted potential rain from Tuesday April 2 with a chance of heavy rain on Friday April 5 and Saturday April 6.
On Friday, the possible rainfall could be anywhere from 6 to 50 millimetres, and Saturday is looking at 0 to 20 millimetres.
NSW BoM forecaster, Jake Phillips said Tuesday morning will be warm at 29 degrees but will cool down with patchy rain and potential thunderstorms.
"Today is probably the last really nice day, with a change coming through tomorrow," Mr Phillips said on Monday.
He said heavier rain and flooding were possible on Friday and Saturday with a potential trough forecast to develop across north east NSW.
He said there was uncertainty at this stage about where the heavy rains could hit.
"If Friday does devolve into a situation with heavy rain, there could be flooding impacts," he said.
