A Weekend Travel Guide to Port Stephens NSW

If you’re looking for a fun weekend away from Sydney to recharge your batteries, then a road trip is in order, to the coastal playground on the east coast. Port Stephens, the dolphin capital of Australia is an adventurer’s dreamscape. Placed perfectly at the end of the Tomaree Peninsula, it is home to some of the most pristine beaches and sand dunes. 

Located about 2.5 hours north of Sydney, this gorgeous coastal getaway is more a region than a township. You’ll find a plethora of activities in Port Stephens from adventures on the water and beneath it, sand-boarding, quad biking, beautiful beaches and much more. It is a popular holiday spot for the locals but, is quickly growing a reputation of its own with international travellers as well. We’ve compiled our list of 11 fab things to do in Port Stephens, so get out there and have some fun.

How to get to Port Stephens from Sydney

If you are availing public transport from Sydney, you can catch the train from Sydney’s central station to Hamilton which is more or less 2.5 hours. You will then need to catch a bus from Hamilton to Shoal Bay Road in Nelson Bay which is an additional 1.5-hour journey.

However, if you prefer to drive from Sydney to Port Stephens, it takes just over 2.5 hours along the M1 Motorway to get there. The nearest airport to Port Stephens is Newcastle. It takes 70 minutes from the airport by bus or a 30-minute drive if you opt for a hire car to get to Port Stephens.

Port Stephens Weekend Itinerary

Hike up to Mt Tomaree Summit
Go on a Dolphin Watch Cruise
Experience the adrenalin rush with Sandboarding and Quad Biking
Try the guided Camel Ride in Stockton Sand Dunes
Check out the Warbirds at Fighter World
Visit the picture-perfect Fingal Bay
Stop by at Gan Gan Lookout
Catch a beautiful sunset at One Mile Beach
Irukandji Shark & Ray Encounters
Koala Spotting at Tilligerry Habitat
Snorkelling at Fly Point

Hike up to Mt Tomaree Summit

When you think of Port Stephens, the picture that comes to mind is the mesmerizing birds-eye views of the narrow neck where Tomaree head joins the mainland at Nelson Bay. Since we had an early start to our day, we decided to hike and work up an appetite by walking up to Mt Tomaree.

The Tomaree Head Summit Walk is a short but challenging 30-minute scenic hike to the top of the Mountain. At the summit, there are several lookouts, each offering magnificent views of the stunning coastline around Port Stephens including Zenith, Wreck and Box Beach.

Make sure you wear comfortable shoes and do pack plenty of drinking water along with your camera. There are opportunities to capture incredible pictures of the landscape, especially during sunrise or sunset.

Go on a Dolphin Watch Cruise

One of the most recommended activities in Port Stephens is Dolphin watching. With over 100 resident Bottlenose Dolphins, it is often referred to as the Dolphin Capital of Australia. The playful dolphins love to make their presence felt and are often seen frolicking around your catamaran. No wonder they are the most loved locals of this beautiful place.

Sailing around Nelson Bay, the cruise is roughly around 90 minutes with a 99% dolphin sighting success. You can either prefer to watch from the deck or choose to be dragged around in the bow-net, which gives you a unique opportunity to swim with the pod. If you don’t want to board on a cruise, you can spot them from the shore as well, as they sometimes swim close to the beach.

If you travel between May and November, during the annual migration season. You will also get to see the magnificent humpback whales.

Experience the adrenalin rush with Sandboarding and Quad Biking

Yup, you read that right, time to get in on some desert-themed activities. Port Stephens is home to the largest moving coastal dunes in the Southern Hemisphere. The combination of these massive dunes and the view of the open sea in the distance is an absolute sight to behold and a paradise for thrill-seekers and sand boarders.

Zipping down the 30 to 40 meters dunes gives you the simplest of joys and is ideal for a family with children. The best way to get to the dune is via local operators. Once at the dunes, operators will give you a safety briefing then you can slide down the golden dunes and stay there as long as you like. The operator runs regular return trips back out of the dunes, so once you’ve had your fair share of fun you can return to the parking area.

Now for people who want to kick things up a notch, get on an ATV/Quad Bike for some high octane thrill. Local operators like Sand Dune Adventures also provide quad bike tours. We were so impressed with these machines. The rush you feel as you ascend and descend the expanse along with several steep drops is surreal. Apart from the fun, the operators also give you an overview of the local history and insightful information about local Aboriginal culture and inhabitants.

Try the guided Camel Ride in Stockton Sand Dunes

The east coast of Australia, which is known for its coastal towns and beaches. A tourist attraction of the desert is truly a unique experience. No matter what the age group is, there is always excitement when you ride this graceful creature.

Guided Camel rides are operated by Oakfield Ranch and the entire sightseeing trip can be brief of about 20 minutes or an extended hour-long ride. Helmets are provided for additional safety and a maximum of 2 people can mount a camel. The camels are well trained and calm so the first time riders don’t have to do much except to enjoy the scenery. Take amazing pictures to share with friends and family later.

Check out the Warbirds at Fighter World

Fighter World is such an attraction, where you don’t need to be an aviation enthusiast to appreciate the display seen here. You will turn into one after just one visit. Large hangars are home to an extensive collection of fighter aircraft from the previous era.

Apart from the full-sized planes, the centre also houses miniature hand-made replicas. You also get to sit inside the cockpit to experience the perspective and complex flight and weapon systems. The Williamtown RAAF base, right next to the centre, provides visitors with viewing opportunities from an observation deck, where they can watch military planes take off and land. There are lots of photo opportunities to capture these beautiful creations or simply pose in front of them.

Visit the picture-perfect Fingal Bay

Fingal Bay, originally known as False Bay back in the day is located just after Box Beach. It is a magnificent C-shape beach, which we are sure you have seen in the Port Stephens travel brochure. It is loaded with opportunities for bushwalking, swimming, snorkelling, surfing and even stand-up paddleboarding.

The beautiful white sand beach is also known for its infamous walk across Fingal sand spit to reach Shark Island. As tempting as it may seem authorities recommend not to walk across the spit and catch a boat ride instead. The ocean can swell even during low tides and can be quite unpredictable and dangerous. The shark island has a guided nature walk with a visit to the aboriginal fish trap lagoon as well as a tour of the Point Stephens Lighthouse.

Stop by at Gan Gan Lookout

If you are travelling across Australia, coming across a lookout is nothing new as every region has its own unique and iconic lookout. Gan Gan lookout, which is off Nelson Bay Road in Port Stephens is a 160-metre high viewing area. It offers a spanning view of the entire layout of the township that might help you get your bearings right.

The viewpoint is easily accessible as you can directly drive up and park right next to the lookout area. The entry is free but parking spots are limited, so plan your drive well in advance. The ideal time to capture the scenery would be early morning or at dusk. We personally prefer Dusk, because the landscape is highlighted by the colourful sky. The name Gan Gan translates to “white-breasted fish hawk” in Gathang language that you will often see circling the hill.

Catch a beautiful sunset at One Mile Beach

A visit to this coastal town is not complete if you have not been to its beautiful family-friendly beach. Just 10 minutes from Nelson Bay, the beach is popular with families because of its shallow waters to swim, snorkel and play.

It is usually patrolled during the holidays and on weekends, the beach seems untouched because of the tall sand dunes. Watching a sunset here is magical as the sky turns pastel with combination of purple and pink. The beach is called as One Mile Beach not because of its length but because of its distance from Forster post office. Like every other beach in Australia, this beach too is well equipped with ample parking space, a large park with barbecue and picnic facilities.

Irukandji Shark & Ray Encounters

A truly unique experience we have ever seen where visitors get to interact with the most misunderstood creatures of the ocean. Irukandji is intelligently designed to keep the young ones entertained and educated while also keeping it interesting for the adults.

You can choose the level of interaction by getting into water or by standing at the edge of the pool and feeding them. You can also get into the shallow end of the pool standing knee-deep to pat and interact with them. Getting up close and personal with these creatures will help you learn about their world and also squashing any unnecessary fears about them.

Koala Spotting at Tilligerry Habitat

Tilligerry Habitat is a nine-hectare reserve of flora and fauna in Tanilba Bay on the foreshore of beautiful Port Stephens. It is always a good feeling seeing the Koalas in their natural environment. Contrary to what people believe, they actually move around a lot to find eucalyptus leaves to eat and are surprisingly difficult to spot in the trees. Koala spotting on any given day is not guaranteed but they do try their best for you by giving you information about the previous spotting, most frequented trees etc.

Tilligerry Habitat is a flat two-kilometre walk on flat gravel paths and boardwalks. Visitors on arrival can check-in at the information centre where they are given information about various native plants and birds. The entry is free and visitors are free to do a self-guided walk. A map and information are given to you to show A list of birds that may be seen in the habitat and also information where koalas might be found. Open 7 days a week from 9.00 A.M to 3.00 P.M, they also offer a Full Interpretive Tour with a Guide for a nominal fee.

Snorkelling at Fly Point

Fly Point in the Halifax Park Aquatic Reserve is known for its clear blue water. The water is relatively calm even on windy days making it a perfect spot for snorkelers and divers. If this is your first time here, it’s better to go with a diving operator like let’s go adventures as the area is quite rocky underfoot.

There is an abundance of life and colour here even in shallow waters. Hand-feeding fish is extremely easy here, probably because of the fact that fishes are exposed to human interaction. One of the best activities to do on a sunny day. Take the plunge and see the school of fishes of varying sizes, explore the seagrass and kelp for octopus and wobbegongs.

Have you been to Port Stephens? What were your favourite spots? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

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