THOUSANDS turned out to witness the wonder of the Newcastle Williamtown Air Show over the weekend.

Saturday’s non-ticketed, community event featured flying displays off Nobbys Beach, with viewing areas at Nobbys, Foreshore Park and Stockton Parklands.

Family-friendly activities such as rides, face painting, food trucks, static RAAF displays and roving entertainment were offered, in addition to the thrilling aerial displays and flypasts.

Formation and aerial displays featured historical aircraft like the Harvard, Winjeel, Spitfire, Mustang and Canberra in addition to flypasts from F/A-18F, EF/A-18G Super Hornet and the Growler.

On Sunday, the RAAF Base at Williamtown opened from 9am to 4pm for a ticketed, non-flying Open Day featuring static ground displays and a range of military equipment from across the Australian Defence Force.

Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the event was testament to the area’s “growth as a world-class events and cultural city and indicative of a thriving local economy”.