Port Stephens is two and a half hours north of Sydney and half an hour up the coast from Newcastle, yet a world away from the hustle and bustle, making it a popular holiday destination. Visitors arrive at a magical place, a feast for the senses, with beautiful beaches, striking sand dunes, national parks, a pristine coastline as well as plenty of wining and dining. A Port Stephens tour takes in a host of attractions.
Tomaree National Park with its walking trails is a great place to explore, while the Tomaree Head summit walk at Shoal Bay offers spectacular views. Port Stephens boasts an incredible 26 beaches including Nelson Bay, a great spot for swimming, surfing or just relaxing. Known for its marine life, tours such as Moonshadow Cruises give guests a chance to say hello to the local dolphins and to the magnificent whales when they pass through.
Port Stephens holidays offer such a variety of experiences. If you love the ocean, you’ll love the array of opportunities for exploring this amazing stretch of water. The Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park extends from Cape Hawke Surf Life Saving Club near Forster south to Birubi Beach Life Saving Club at the northern end of Stockton Beach and three nautical mile limit out to sea.
The marine park was established in 2005 and covers a massive 98,000 hectares. The area is home to dolphins, turtles, seabirds and fish including the endangered Grey Nurse Shark. Every year between May and November, up to 40,000 Humpback Whales pass the coastline on their annual migration north creating a joyous spectacle with their playful antics.
One of the best ways to enjoy the marine park and all its inhabitants is to take off with Moonshadow Cruises where you’ll learn all about this pristine area.
While at Port Stephens, visit beautiful Tanilba House (1831) set in three acres of whimsical gardens overlooking the bay. The largest town in the area, Nelson Bay is a large natural harbour with a bustling marina and waterfront dining. It’s the place for dolphin and whale-watching cruises and fishing charters.
Gateway to the Stockton Beach Sand Dunes, Anna Bay has a great surf beach and delightful rockpools and is popular with four-wheel driving and beach fishing enthusiasts. Fingal Bay is a picturesque village surrounded by the Tomaree National Park. There’s a fabulous walk across the spit at low tide to the Point Stephens Lighthouse on Fingal Island.
Spend time at Salamander Bay exploring the beautiful waters or stroll through the surrounding parkland. The lovely coastal village of Shoal Bay offers plenty of water activities including water skiing and paragliding or hire a catamaran, paddleboat, surf ski, sailboard or canoe.
The Worimi (also spelt Warrimay) are the traditional owners of the Port Stephens and Great Lakes regions. The Worimi nation stretches from Forster in the north to the Hunter River in the south and west to the Barrington Tops and Maitland.
Captain James Cook named Port Stephens when he sailed past on 11 May 1770. The name was to honour Sir Philip Stephens, Secretary to the Admiralty and a personal friend of Cook.
There are 26 beautiful beaches in Port Stephens. Many have sheltered bays perfect for swimming while others feature spectacular surfing spots. There are kilometres of white sandy beaches and golden sand dunes to explore.
Yes! One of the best ways to get close to the playful Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins is to hop aboard Moonshadow Cruises at Nelson Bay. The one-and-a-half hour Dolphin Watching cruise heads past the stunning Tomaree and Yacaaba headlands includes educational commentary and guarantees a high success rate in dolphin sightings.
Our team is always happy to help if you have any questions about us or our tours. Fill out our form and we will get back to you soon.
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We are a Green Travel Leader. This is awarded to businesses which have consistently proven their commitment to sustainable tourism management over ten years.
As a Sustianable Tourism accredited business, we are proud to offer engaging tourism experiences that follow sound sustainability practices and environmental appreciation.
Quality Tourism accredited businesses like Fun Over 50 lead the way by offering the highest industry standards of customer service, satisfaction, reliability, and ethical practices.
We are committed to operating in ways that respect and reinforce Indigenous cultural heritage and the authenticity and integrity of living cultures of Indigenous communities.
We have incorporated strategic climate change responses across all relevant levels of our planning and operations. We are working towards becoming carbon neutral.
With Advanced Ecotourism certification, we offer outstanding experiences which let you get back to nature, help conservation, and minimise environmental impact.
We are a credible, well trained, and professional business. We conduct business in compliance with Australian Consumer Law and in accordance with ATAS Charter and Code of Conduct.
The Council of Australian Tour Operators represents tour operators and wholesalers. As a full CATO member, we provide authentic and original holidays with sustainable travel.
We acknowledge the traditional owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them, their cultures, and to the elders both past and present.
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