Things to do in Port Stephens and Nelson Bay

Sandboarding, 4WD and quad bikes on the Stockton dunes

The Stockton dunes run 32 km south from Anna Bay inside the Worimi Conservation Lands, and some climb past 30 metres. You’ll need a tour to get onto them. Sandboarding (also called sand surfing or sand sliding) is the most popular. Sand Dune Safaris and 4WD Tours R Us both drive you to the big slopes and give you unlimited runs. The 4WD passenger tour is better for sightseeing. Our sandboarding and dune tours guide compares them all.

For something faster, Sand Dune Adventures runs Aboriginal-guided quad bike tours from bush onto the dunes. Its 1.5-hour tour adds sandboarding and an introduction to Worimi culture. Oakfield Ranch runs camel rides from Anna Bay along Birubi Beach: 20 minutes by day or an hour at sunset.

Dolphin and whale watching from Nelson Bay

Around 90 to 120 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins live in Port Stephens all year, so a dolphin cruise works in any season. Humpbacks pass from about May to November. The whale and dolphin cruise on Imagine leaves from d’Albora Marina. Our whale and dolphin watching guide covers timing and where to watch from land.

Tomaree Head and the lookouts

The Tomaree Head Summit walk is 2.2 km return and steep. It rises 161 metres above the port entrance, with platforms looking over the offshore islands and down the coast. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours, and detour to the World War II gun emplacements on the way down. Gan Gan Hill Lookout, on the road into Nelson Bay, is the easy alternative: you can drive up, and a short level path leads to a wheelchair-accessible platform.

Beaches

Shoal Bay has calm, sheltered water five minutes’ drive from Nelson Bay. In town, Little Beach (with a jetty and playground) and Dutchmans Beach are calm and good for families, and Fly Point is a protected snorkelling area. Zenith Beach, under Tomaree Head, is unpatrolled. From there a 5 km track runs to Fingal Bay.

Don’t walk across Fingal Spit to the Point Stephens lighthouse. NSW National Parks says the sandbar is extremely dangerous, with a high drowning risk, and recommends going by boat tour instead.

Koalas and the marina

The Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary at One Mile has a working koala hospital and a canopy-level Sky Walk. Back in Nelson Bay, d’Albora Marina has a free fish feed at 10:30 am every day.

Where to base yourself

Nelson Bay puts the marina, restaurants and cruises within walking distance. See Nelson Bay accommodation or, for the beach, Shoal Bay accommodation.