PORT STEPHENS From sublime natural beauty to freshly caught seafood, Port Stephens is a wonderful beach escape on a sparkling blue bay. Relax on beautiful sandy beaches, meet the resident bottlenose dolphins, enjoy fun water sports, explore giant sand dunes and savour delicious waterfront places to eat.
Home to more than 100 dolphins, the pristine inlet in the vast Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park is twice the size of Sydney Harbour. For spectacular panoramas of the azure waters and beyond there are two excellent vantage points, the Tomaree Head summit and the Gan Gan Hill lookout.
Dolphin-watching cruises depart from Nelson Bay, the main town, which is 2h 30min drive north of Sydney and half an hour from Newcastle Airport. Whale watching is popular between May and November, when thousands of humpback and other whales migrate through the marine park.
Dotted along the southern bay shoreline are restaurants serving succulent local prawns, oysters, crabs and lobsters. There are vineyards and a craft beer brewery nearby. Places to stay suit various budgets, from island camping and holiday parks to holiday houses, apartments and stylish resorts.
There are 26 lovely beaches, from sheltered bayside beaches perfect for families with young children to ocean beaches. The Port Stephens Surf School offers surfing lessons at several beaches. At pretty Shoal Bay is a majestic 2.5km beach where kayaks and stand-up paddleboards are available for hire.
A splendid backdrop to Shoal Bay is the Tomaree National Park, where you’ll find the summit walk, military heritage and koalas in the wild. You can also spot koalas in the enchanting Tilligerry Habitat, a nature reserve. Or get up close to koalas and other native animals at the Oakvale Wildlife Park.
Just east of Oakvale are the largest moving coastal sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere and the longest beach in NSW, both in the Worimi Conservation Lands. There are fun adventure tours of the towering Stockton Bight sand dunes, and four-wheel driving and fishing are popular on the beach.
For a memorable aquatic experience, step into the water with sharks and stingrays at the Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters, an amazing interactive aquarium. There are also scuba diving tours in the marine park, including to Cabbage Tree Island’s shipwreck and Broughton Island’s grey nurse sharks.
"2475 Allyn River Road "
"Gan Gan Hill Lookout"
Enjoy the spectacular views of beautiful Port Stephens and beyond from Gan Gan Hill, one of the highest points in the area and only 3.5 km southwest of Nelson Bay. The Gan Gan Lookout is an iconic tourist attraction on Lilly Hill Road. There is wheelchair access to the viewing platforms.
The top attractions you’ll see include the vast blue bay, the striking Yacabba and Tomaree headlands, the magnificent Tomaree National Park and the towering Stockton Bight sand dunes. You can gaze as far north as Hawks Nest and south along NSW’s longest beach to Newcastle.
Interpretative signage at the lookout will help you identify points of interest.
"Tomaree Head Summit Walk"
Take the invigorating short walk to the summit of Tomaree Head, 161m above the Port Stephens entrance. As you hike the track, you’ll enjoy unparalleled views of idyllic Port Stephens and its coastline. From the top, you can even see as far as Cabbage Tree and Boondelbah islands – these nature reserves are the world’s only nesting sites for the endangered Gould's petrel.
When you reach the summit, enjoy panoramic views of Yacaaba Head, Cabbage Tree, Boondelbah and Broughton Islands from the north platform. From the south platform, views of Zenith, Wreck and Box Beaches, Fingal Island and Point Stephens Lighthouse will be sure to impress. Be sure to check out the historic World War II gun emplacements. Take your binoculars as you might be lucky to see some dolphins.
There’s a picnic table at the lookout, so if you have time, take a picnic lunch or some morning tea to enjoy as you take in the view. Distance 2.2km return
"Zenith Beach"
Off the beaten path, nice walk to get there, and secluded. Beautiful sand and water, you could spend hours
"Shoal bay"
SHOAL BAY From lovely beaches to dolphins, whales and koalas, Shoal Bay is a charming destination in beautiful Port Stephens. Relaxing on a white sandy beach, kayaking with bottlenose dolphins, spotting koalas in the wild and walking to Tomaree Head for whale watching are just a few of the great experiences.
The majestic Shoal Bay Beach curves 2.5km from Nelson Head to Tomaree Head. The sweeping views of the pristine inlet are mesmerising. The calm bay waters are perfect for swimming, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding, and picnic tables and barbecue facilities are in the beachside reserve.
"Fingal Bay"
A near-perfect C-curve of sand that faces southeast, Fingal Bay Beach has its own island connected by a sand-spit and is well protected from all but a hefty southeast wind. The spit at the north end which links Fingal Island to the mainland gets decent waves when the sand builds up.
The island’s key feature is an imposing lighthouse and there are some stylish cafes a short walk from the water’s edge.
"Nelson Bay Lighthouse "
Nelson Head Light, also known as Nelson Head Inner Light, is an inactive unusual lighthouse located on Nelson Head, a headland northeast of the town of Nelson Bay, New South Wales, Australia, near Halifax Park, on the southern shore of Port Stephens. The light served guiding ships into the port. Unlike other lighthouses the Nelson Head Light has no tower. Instead, the light was shown through the window of the lantern room, and later mounted outside.
The station was established in 1872, four kerosene lamps shown from a wooden tower.
Nelson Head Light, 1902 The current cottage was built three years later and the light was first shown from the house in 1876. The light was installed in an octagonal lantern room attached to the house and shown through a 3 metres (9.8 ft) window. The house was occupied by 14 resident keepers and the Maritime Service Board until 1985.
In 1946 the light was electrified and in 1984 it was automated. Since 1986 the Nelson Head Lighthouse and Rescue Station Trust has supported the preservation of the house. In 1990 the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol was appointed as trustee, and the house is now managed by Marine Rescue NSW under the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol was unified. The house currently serves as a maritime museum.
n 1995 the light was replaced with a solar powered lantern which was attached outside the previous lantern room. In early 2003 it was deemed unnecessary and the light was shut down
"Nelson Bay Lighthouse Cafe"
Come and enjoy a lovely coffee and cake here, the view is spectacular, the staff are lovely and attentive, the museum has lots of wonderful information, and the crew in the marine rescue tower were super friendly. Best view in all of Nelson Bay
"Little Beach Reserve "
Little Beach is a small beach facing north west adjacent to the Halifax Holiday Park and the Nelson Head lighthouse reserve. The Little Beach foreshore has both a grassed area and beach area ideal for family and social club gatherings.
The beach is ideal for young children with its sandy expanse and gentle waters. This site is very popular with both a public jetty and boat launching ramp. There is a fish cleaning table for successful anglers and is popular with pelicans.
Little Beach features a disabled access jetty. The ramp allows wheel chair direct access into the ocean.
"Corlette Beach"
Corlette Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Port Stephens. With a north-facing aspect it receives plenty of sunshine and is also well protected from the winter westerlies by Corlette Headland.
The waterfront reserve that runs the length of Corlette Beach has a delightful walking path that meanders behind the dunes and through stands of large eucalypts to Nelson Bay
"Soldiers Point Jetty "
"Newcastle Shortland Esplanade"
"Newcastle Memorial Walk"
Newcastle's Memorial Walk is a spectacular coastal walk with a personal connection for thousands of locals.
The Walk is located above Memorial Drive The Hill, on Strzelecki Headland (between Bar Beach and King Edward Park).
The walk was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli in 1915 and the commencement of steel making in Newcastle; it acts as a magnificent memorial to the men and women of the Hunter who served their community and their country.
The structure cost $4.5m to build and is a 450 meter long cliff top walkway that links Newcastle’s Strzelecki Lookout to Bar Beach.
Built with 64 tonnes of stainless steel, the walkway winds its way around the cliff edge and offers unsurpassed views of the coastline, city and up into the Hunter Valley.
The walk features a 160 metre cliff top bridge adorned with steel silhouettes of soldiers inscribed with close to 4,000 family names of almost 11,000 known Hunter Valley men and women who enlisted during World War I. It also links to Council's Bathers Way promenade development, a six kilometre coastal walk linking Newcastle’s beaches and stretching from Merewether Ocean Baths to Nobbys Beach.
"Newcastle Merewether Ocean Bath "
"2475 Allyn River Road "