Pelicans, Port StephensCredit: Alesha Bradford
Pelicans at Nelson Bay, Port Stephens.
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Known as the dolphin capital of Australia for its pod of resident bottlenoses (it’s also a haven for whale watching during migration), the Port Stephens coastline is truly captivating. But this region, a 2.5-hour drive north of Sydney, offers visitors much more than surf, sand across 26 beaches and sunshine. From world-class golf courses to deluxe dining, trendy bars and educational wildlife activities, here are just some of the activities and adventures that await.
Highlights:
- Ocean-fresh seafood from the Nelson Bay Fish Market
- Hiking through Tomaree National Park
- Quad biking on the Stockton Sand Dunes
Where to eat and drink
Vintners, brewers, growers and artisanal purveyors... Port Stephens is blessed with a bounty of forward-thinking gourmands. Begin your day at The Little Nel café overlooking the bay, where seasonal indulgences include wagyu waffles and wood-roasted smoked-salmon croquettes.
From plump oysters grown and harvested just offshore to juicy prawns, crabs, tuna and trevally, there’s great seafood in this region. Go straight to the source on the wharf at Nelson Bay Fish Market, in Nelson Bay, where trawlers deposit all of the above on a daily basis. Next door at Bub’s Fish and Chips you can buy cold and hot seafood, including indulgent platters and what many regard as the tastiest fish and chips in town.
And a short drive away at family owned Holberts Oyster (growing and shucking for five generations), you can take away a platter of molluscs, or order a bottle of wine and enjoy an alfresco feast overlooking the waters of Cromarty Bay.
For a more formal meal, head to nautically themed Little Beach Boathouse in Nelson Bay for a waterside setting that is almost as good as the fresh fare. Rick Stein’s restaurant at Bannisters Port Stephens is also worth lingering in, with the celebrity chef delivering lip-smacking oysters on ice, Nelson Bay tuna sashimi, blue swimmer crab with Singapore-style chilli sauce and shellfish soup. For a lofty perspective, it’s hard to look past the legendary Shoal Bay Country Club. The establishment is open early, but come for lunch or dinner to relax on the patio overlooking the water, with a side of beer-battered fish and chips or the bulging deluxe seafood platter.
Where to see wildlife
Any trip to Port Stephens should include a visit to Shoal Bay Beach, the area’s most legendary stretch of sand, curving 2.5km from Nelson Head to Tomaree Head, and with sweeping views over the inlet. You can also hike to the summit through Tomaree National Park, with fields of wildflowers and large numbers of koalas competing for your attention with the views of the scenic villages of Nelson Bay, Shoal Bay, Fingal Bay and Boat Harbour.
During the migration season (May through November), you can spot humpback and southern right whales here, breaching out to sea in the 98,000-hectare Port Stephens and Great Lakes Marine Park, the largest of its kind in the state.
You can also cruise out to see these enormous marine mammals on a whale-watching expedition from Nelson Bay marina with Moonshadow-TQC Cruises or Imagine Cruises. Keep your eyes peeled for flocks of oceanic birds and the fur seals lolling about on Cabbage Tree Island.
Port Stephens Highlights Credit: Destination NSW
Postcard footage of Port Stephens
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Port Stephens Highlights Credit: Destination NSW
Postcard footage of Port Stephens
Little Beach Boathouse, Nelson Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Fresh local oysters available at Little Beach Boathouse, Nelson Bay.
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Little Beach Boathouse, Nelson Bay Credit: Destination NSW
Fresh local oysters available at Little Beach Boathouse, Nelson Bay.
Nelson Bay, Port Stephens Credit: Destination NSW
Luxury private chartered yacht experience with Blue Water Sailing in Shoal Bay, Port Stephens.
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Nelson Bay, Port Stephens Credit: Destination NSW
Luxury private chartered yacht experience with Blue Water Sailing in Shoal Bay, Port Stephens.
Where to play
Port Stephens has long been the tee-off destination of choice for avid golfers. Located on the edge of the Tomaree National Park is Nelson Bay Golf Club, a 27-hole championship course set over 70 wildlife-rich hectares — look out for kangaroos, wallabies, koalas and native birds. Just a short drive west in Salamander Bay is Horizons Golf Resort, a scenic 18-hole championship course with manicured greens and an intricate lakes system. Yet another 18-hole championship course awaits at Pacific Dunes, which regularly takes home awards for its challenging fairways.
Family fun begins at Nelson Bay’s Splash Waterpark, a wonderland on the sea packed with inflatable toys for thrill-seekers of all ages to jump off, slide down and fall onto. If you prefer to stay dry, visit Toboggan Hill Park, a fun, adventure-filled activity zone in Nelson Bay. Surrounded by native bush, the site features a toboggan track, mini golf, giant maze, tractor rides and indoor rock climbing.
Animal lovers will enjoy getting up close and personal with the native and domestic farm animals at Oakvale Wildlife Park. Set over 10 hectares of native forest, it protects all manner of fauna — and visitors can get involved, helping feed baby farm animals and learn more about ducklings, sheep and horses as well as koalas, kangaroos and wombats.
Native animals are also a focus at the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary, where you can spot these marsupials in their natural habitat and discover what the centre is doing to help protect and care for them — there’s an on-site hospital for injured animals — as well as the environment they call home.
Then discover the longest moving sand dunes in the southern hemisphere: the Stockton Sand Dunes reach heights of more than 40 metres, their steep sides often hitting an incline of 60 degrees. Speed freaks will want to sign up for dune surfing or quad-bike tours with Sand Dune Adventures and sandboarding with 4WD Tours R US. For a more leisurely way to explore the area, try a camel ride with Oakfield Ranch.
Where to sleep
If you’re planning on dining at Rick Stein’s restaurant at Bannisters Port Stephens, you can also check in to one of the 80 barefoot-luxe rooms and suites done up in a coastal palette of blue and white. Slide into the infinity pool overlooking the glittering bay, explore the national parkland, or spend the afternoon relaxing at the luxurious Spa Bannisters, where you can choose from a range of therapeutic options, and deluxe body and facial treatments.
Or end your day within the Hamptons-chic haven of the Anchorage Hotel & Spa, where Moby’s Bar is a perfect perch to sample a selection of the world's finest whiskies and wines while looking out over the marina. Pair your beverage of choice with a platter of antipasti or Sydney rock oysters, then retire to your room suite or villa, most with private water-view patios.
Stockton Sand Dunes, Port Stephens Credit: Destination NSW
Quad biking experience on the Stockton Sand Dunes in the Worimi Conservation Lands, Port Stephens.
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Stockton Sand Dunes, Port Stephens Credit: Destination NSW
Quad biking experience on the Stockton Sand Dunes in the Worimi Conservation Lands, Port Stephens.
The Anchorage Hotel and Spa, Port Stephens Credit: Destination NSW
Accommodation at The Anchorage Hotel and Spa, Port Stephens.
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The Anchorage Hotel and Spa, Port Stephens Credit: Destination NSW
Accommodation at The Anchorage Hotel and Spa, Port Stephens.
Blue Pool, BermaguiCredit: Destination NSW
The scenic Blue Pool on the Bermagui coastline.
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You’ll find spectacular ocean pools dotted along the southern coastline of New South Wales. These handmade pools, fed by the ocean’s waves, are often built into the rocks near beautiful sandy beaches, can be hidden away along the coastline and are enjoyed mostly by locals. Ocean pools are great for kids learning how to swim, lap swimming and for a dip on the days when the waves are a little too big for your liking. Here’s where to find an ocean pool on the coast south of Sydney.
In the Illawarra
You’ll find many spectacular ocean pools in the Illawarra area, from south of the Royal National Park all the way through to the popular seaside town of Kiama. These include lovely pools at Coledale, Bulli, Towradgi, Port Kembla and North Wollongong.
Take the road through the Royal National Park to Stanwell Park and onto Coalcliff Beach, where the ocean pool is set against a dramatic backdrop of the escarpment.
Nuns Pool, at Flagstaff Point in Wollongong, is one of the oldest in the state, dating back to the 1830s. (The title of oldest ocean pool goes to the Bogey Hole in Newcastle, north of Sydney. It was built by convicts in 1819.) Located below the lighthouse, the Nuns Pool (formerly known as Chain Baths and used by the nuns of St Mary’s convent) sits in a small, sheltered cove and is accessed via a narrow path chiselled into the sandstone.
Further south at Kiama, the Blowhole Point Ocean Pool offers a safe swimming spot near the area’s famous blowhole, the largest in the world, on a headland near the town centre. This beautiful, hand-cut pool is an irregular shape and has a varied depth and rock bottom – it was also once a men-only bath. You can also take the 15-minute walk around Kiama Harbour from the blowhole to Black Beach Reserve. Here you can do 50-metre laps in the Olympic-size Continental Ocean Pool.
A 15-minute drive south of Kiama is the tiny coastal town of Gerringong. Head down to Gerringong’s Werri Beach for a swim at Ourie Ocean Pool, at the southern end of the beach. This rectangular pool, carved into a flat rock shelf, has a smooth concrete bottom and is perfect for a summer’s day dip.
Bulli Rockpool, Bulli Credit: Destination NSW
Sun setting over Bulli Rockpool, Bulli.
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Bulli Rockpool, Bulli Credit: Destination NSW
Sun setting over Bulli Rockpool, Bulli.
Ourie Pool, Gerringong Credit: Destination NSW
Scenic aerial over Ourie Pool off Werri Beach, Gerringong.
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Ourie Pool, Gerringong Credit: Destination NSW
Scenic aerial over Ourie Pool off Werri Beach, Gerringong.
From the Illawarra to the Shoalhaven
Drive an hour further south into the Shoalhaven region and seek out Huskisson Sea Pool at Huskisson. This coastal town has a rich shipbuilding heritage, which you can explore at the Jervis Bay Maritime Museum after your swim.
A 45-minute drive south of Huskisson brings you to Mollymook, where you’ll find the South Coast’s famous Bogey Hole, a natural rock pool on the headland south of the beach. There’s also a lovely ocean pool at Ulladulla, a five-minute drive further down the coast.
On the Sapphire Coast
One of the state’s most famous ocean pools is found at Bermagui, a little over five hours by car from Sydney, on the Sapphire Coast. Bermagui’s Blue Pool is revered as one of the prettiest, filled with azure-hued water fading to turquoise and green. At 50 metres long it makes for a great lap-swimming pool and there’s also a shallow wading pool, ideal for kids, just next to the pool.
One of the southernmost ocean pools on the NSW coastline is the Aslings Beach Rock Pool, a hidden gem carved into the pink-and-white cliffs at Aslings Beach in Eden, a six-hour drive from Sydney. It’s only a short walk from town, but its low profile makes it hard to spot from further down the beach. Make your way over the rocks from the beach and take a dip at low tide before the waves have a chance to deposit any seaweed.
Blue Pool, Bermagui Credit: Destination NSW
The picturesque Blue Pool situated along the Bermagui coastline.
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Blue Pool, Bermagui Credit: Destination NSW
The picturesque Blue Pool situated along the Bermagui coastline.
Aslings Beach Rock Pool, Eden Credit: Destination NSW
Aerial overlooking Aslings Beach Rock Pool in Eden.
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Aslings Beach Rock Pool, Eden Credit: Destination NSW
Aerial overlooking Aslings Beach Rock Pool in Eden.