Port Stephens Area Information Guide

WELCOME to

PORT STEPHENS Port Stephens

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PORT STEPHENS WELCOME to

Port Stephens Port Stephens is a holiday destination steeped in beauty and natural attractions.

It’s the perfect place to visit to relax and completely unwind.

Approximately seventy thousand years ago, the sea level in the region rose sixty metres flooding the Karuah River valley and forming the estuary of Port Stephens.

The drowned valley has been described as a water wonderland so aquatic activities are popular here.

Much of the beauty is below the surface, and the best place to dive in Port Stephens is off Halifax Park, where large sponges and a great diversity of marine life exist to a depth of twenty-eight metres.

Port Stephens is many things to many people. For the professional fisherman, it is a place where prawns, oysters, mullet and bream can be profitably harvested.

For visitors, it is a popular holiday destination to fish, dive, snorkel, parasail and swim in a bushland setting.

Nelson Bay is the largest township on the southern shore and is well set up to satisfy the needs of visitors.

Highly productive offshore fishing grounds cater to the game fisherman.

Be sure to check out the Worimi Conservation Lands and the remarkable Stockton Bight Sand Dunes that lie within it. Tomaree National Park is a natural oasis boasting a number of picturesque beach walks.

For more information on Port Stephens, please visit www.portstephens.org.au. Alternatively, drop into the visitor information centre located at 70 Victoria Parade, Nelson Bay.

PORT STEPHENS THINGS to

See and Do

AQUATIC ACTIVITIES

THE TILLIGERRY PENINSULA

Boasting a bay said to be two and a half times larger than Sydney Harbour, Port Stephens is a veritable aquatic playground. Visitors can take to the water and enjoy an array of water sports such as diving, snorkelling, parasailing and kayaking.

On the south-western shores of Port Stephens, approximately 27kms from Nelson Bay, lies the Tilligerry Peninsula. The peninsula is a beautiful, tranquil, untouched place surrounded on three sides by the waters of Port Stephens and the Tilligerry Creek. Lemon Tree Passage is a quiet township located on the tip of the Tilligerry Peninsula and offers a variety of gentle, coastal walking trails and boardwalks through Koala territory.

FISHING For fishing enthusiasts, the area offers abundant opportunities to fish. For beach fishing the whole family can enjoy, head to Stockton or Fingal Beach. Other great fishing spots are Little Beach (in between the wharves) or the rock wall behind the Fisherman’s Co-op. For the adventurous, take a deep sea or game fishing charter or hire a boat. Don’t forget a fishing licence is required, which are available from fishing stores in the area.

MARINE LIFE The region is home to a sizeable population of bottlenose dolphins, which are spotted on a regular basis. If you’re in Port Stephens between late May and mid-November, then you might be privy to spotting humpback whales on their migratory journey north.

Charter a whale-watching tour or try spotting these majestic creatures at Fingal Bay and Anna Bay.

WORIMI CONSERVATION LANDS The Worimi Conservation Lands holds a special place in the heart of the Worimi people with its myriad cultural features such as burial and midden sites. It is also home to one of Port Stephens most interesting natural attractions, the Stockton Bight Sand Dune. Visitors can traverse the dunes on foot, by camel, horse, 4WD or quad bike.

TOMAREE NATIONAL PARK The Tomaree National Park is a natural wonderland that offers access to many picturesque shorelines, some from which you can spot whales in season. Be sure to do the Tomaree Head Summit Walk and see if you can spy some koalas along the way.

KOALAS

GAN GAN LOOKOUT

Port Stephens area has many suitable koala habitats, including the reserve on the Tilligerry Peninsula. Local guides offer tours that showcase the unique traits of these furry little creatures.

Sitting at 160 metres in height, Gan Gan Hill offers stunning views of Port Stephens at its peak. Located on Lilly Hill Road, the lookout is a great place to view spectacular flora and fauna.

NELSON HEAD HERITAGE LIGHTHOUSE

DAY TRIPS

The Nelson Head Heritage Lighthouse was erected back in the 1800s. Offering stunning vistas of Port Stephens, the museum on site allows visitors to revisit the past with its fascinating memorabilia. Call into the Inner Light Tea Room for some refreshments, which is open 7 Days from 10am throughout the year.

There’s a number of great self-guided day trips that explore the surrounding region. Travel to Newcastle, New South Wales’ second oldest city, or Port Stephens’ hinterland for more nature. Be sure to drop into the Port Stephens Visitor Information Centre for more information on day trips and attractions in the region.

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The Dunes The wind-blown sand dunes of Stockton Beach make up the largest continuous mobile sand mass in New South Wales.

The Stockton Bight Sand Dunes, as they are known, are comprised of yellow grains that have been washed in from the sea and blown ashore to form sand peaks of up to thirty metres high. Most of the sand was deposited about six thousand years ago and, despite the stabilising effects of plants such as spinifex, pigface and bitou bush, the wind-driven dunes move about four metres a year. The lee side of a dune is steep and loosely packed, making a perfect surface for sliding down on a sheet of cardboard or something more elaborate.

A number of tour operators in the region offer safaristyle tours via 4WD vehicles to the Stockton Bight Sand Dunes. For something more hands on, visitors can access the dunes via a quad bike or take to the slopes with a wake board. For something more serene, camel and horse riding tours are also available.

A beach vehicle permit allows registered vehicles onto the beach. You can purchase a permit from the visitor information centre at Nelson Bay or from other selected agents within Port Stephens.

Beaches Port Stephens is the quintessential holiday destination boasting a number of picturesque beaches where visitors can frollic and play.

What could be more perfect than a blue water paradise made up of 26 golden sandy beaches, an eco-diverse marine park and all the adventure and fun that you could wish for?

Port Stephens offers an endless range of water activities such as first-class snorkelling and diving so you can marvel at the marine life. For families, there’s plenty of opportunity to swim in patrolled beaches or you can just relax on the shoreline with a picnic. For something more adventurous, visitors can try parasailing or surfing one of the great breaks in the area.

For patrolled beaches during the summer months, head to Birubi Beach (located at the eastern end of Stockton Beach), Fingal Bay or One Mile Beach. Facilities include toilets, showers and playgrounds. Care should always be taken when swimming and patrol times may vary, so check before heading off for a day of fun at the beach.

Remember that a beach permit is required for those wanting to access the beach in vehicles. Only registered vehicles are allowed beach permits.

Broughton

Island

Broughton Island is always an adventure to visit. A fast boat, in good conditions, can get you to one of its sandy beaches in half an hour from Port Stephens.

Broughton Island is comprised of sandy beaches, volcanic peaks and stunted, wind-swept vegetation.

Twelve nautical miles from Nelson Bay, the sea journey is a kaleidoscope of sea cliffs, swells, terns, flying fish, dolphins and salt spray. Most visitors come for what lies below the water: snapper, drummer, kingfish, flathead and groper. For scuba divers there are undersea caves, coral, sponge gardens, boulders, sandy gutters, ledges, sheer walls and marine life of every type. Call Let’s Go Adventures on 4981 4331 to find out more about dive tours to the island.

Broughton Island is packed with life. Part of the Myall Lakes National Park, the island is teeming with birdlife.

The island is close to the northern limit of the range of the little penguin. As soon as it is completely dark, these diminutive black-and-white birds pop out of the surf and walk up the beach to their underground homes.

PORT STEPHENS C A LE N DA R of

Events

JANUARY

JUNE

• Australia Day Celebrations Nelson Bay

• Blue Water Country and Blues Music Festival 6-9 June Held in venues throughout Port Stephens

FEBRUARY • Port Stephens Family Fishing Competition 7-8 February Soldiers Point Marina Sunset Boulevard, Soldiers Point • Cabo-Hatteras Billfish Shootout Tournament 14-16 February d’Albora Marinas, Nelson Bay • NSWGFA Interclub Tournament 20 February to 1 March d’Albora Marinas, Nelson Bay

MARCH • Club Marine Trailer Boat Fishing Tournament 27, 28, 29 March Port Stephens • Port Stephens Art Prize 20 March Port Stephens Community Arts Centre Cultural Close, Nelson Bay

APRIL • Sail Port Stephens 13-19 April Port Stephens Marine Park

MAY • Lost Highway Karuah Bluegrass Music Festival 1-3 May Township of Karuah • NSW Stand Up Paddle Board State Titles Festival 14-17 May (TBC) One Mile Beach and Birubi Beach

AUGUST • Raymond Terrace Aquatic Club Powerboat Trophy Day 9 August (TBC) Hunter River and Williams River • Port Stephens Spring Cup Golf Tournament 9-15 August Nelson Bay, Horizons and Pacific Dunes Golf Courses

SEPTEMBER • Clans of Coast 19 September Tomaree No 1 Sports Ground, Nelson Bay

OCTOBER • Karuah Oyster & Timber Festival 17 October (TBC) Longworth Park, Karuah

NOVEMBER • Tastes At The Bay 7-8 November (TBC) Nelson Bay foreshore

DECEMBER • New Year’s Eve Fireworks 31 December d’Albora Marinas

For more information about what’s on in Port Stephens, please visit www.portstephens.org.au or call 1800 808 900.

PORT STEPHENS ESSENTIAL services

EMERGENCY SERVICES Police, Ambulance and Fire Brigade 000

POLICE Nelson Bay Police 4981 1244 16/18 Government Road, Nelson Bay

MEDICAL Tomaree Community Hospital Trevally Street, Nelson Bay

4984 0700

Nelson Bay Medical Centre 39 Stockton Street, Nelson Bay

4981 1722

Nelson Plaza Clinic 29 Stockton Street, Nelson Bay

4981 2555

Port Stephens Medical Centre 2 Keel Street, Salamander Bay

4981 1733

Shoal Bay Medical Centre 5 Government Road, Shoal Bay

4981 2600

DENTAL Nelson Bay Family Dental 63 Donald Street, Nelson Bay

4981 1576

PHARMACY

Markets ANNA BAY COMMUNITY MARKET Held 1st Saturday of every month, 8.30am-2pm Gateway Family Presbyterian Church 43 Gan Gan Road, Anna Bay

MEDOWIE MARKET Held 2nd Saturday of each month, 8am-2:30pm Bull & Bush Motel, Ferodale Road, Medowie

Nelson Bay Pharmacy 71 Magnus Street, Nelson Bay

4981 1237

Chemmart Pharmacy 18 Stockton Street, Nelson Bay

4984 2445

Shoal Bay Pharmacy 59 Shoal Bay Road, Shoal Bay

4981 1247

Amcal Max Salamander Bay Salamander Centre, Salamander Bay

4982 7644

PORT STEPHENS MARKETS Held 4th Saturday of each month, 9am-1pm Church of Christ, Nelson Bay Road, Salt Ash

SPECTRUM FARMERS MARKETS Held 3rd Saturday of each month, 9am-1pm Spectrum Church, Nelson Bay Road, Anna Bay

TANILBA BAY MARKET Held 3rd Saturday of each month, 9am-1pm Kooindah Shopping Centre, President Wilson Walk, Tanilba Bay

NELSON BAY LEGACY MARKET

TOMAREE MARKET

Held 1st, 3rd, 5th Sunday of each month, 8:30am-2pm Neil Carroll Park (Fly Point), Nelson Bay

Held 2nd & 4th Sunday of each month from 9am-2pm Tomaree Sports Complex, Nelson Bay Road, Nelson Bay

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