Sydney Surrounds - North – Combine Port NEWCASTLE Stephens with the Other Iconic Destinations North of 11 1 Day Day Module for Self Drive / Group Tour
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Destination Port Stephens Port Stephens INTERNATIONAL TOUR PLANNER Tourism CONSUMER www.portstephens.org.au TRADE www.portstephenstourism.com.au FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/portstephenstourism FOLLOW US ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/Port_Stephens CONTENTS Welcome to Port Stephens 2 Quick Facts 3 Transport 4 Location Map 5 Top 10 things to do in Port Stephens 6 Port Stephens – Great Lakes Marine Park 7 Worimi Conservation Lands 8 Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Events 9 Around Port Stephens 10 Accommodation 11 Destination Port Stephens 16 Attractions and Activities 17 Itineraries 22 Venue Visions and P.S. I Love You Campaign 30 CONTENTS 2 Destination Port Stephens Welcome to the Country of A Blue Water Paradise – Dolphin Capital of Australia the Worimi Aboriginal Nation Just north of Sydney, along the Legendary Pacific Coast and adjacent to the famous Hunter wine region, Port Stephens is famous for all things The Worimi Aboriginal community welcome visitors to their nature and adventure, including dolphins, whales, sand dunes plus much more. We are included in most itineraries for a reason! land and invite you to enjoy and understand the Worimi Country Port Stephens is one of the most popular domestic leisure destinations in NSW. Families, couples, singles, groups, meeting and incentive groups with respect to land, culture and traditions. Caring for country from all over the world come here to experience such a range of attractions and activities in a truly unique natural environment that cannot be is the manner in which the Worimi People have always lived. found anywhere else. The Worimi Community invite you to appreciate the wonders of the local landscape and experience how sustainability and Our focus is on soft adventure and nature. Port Stephens is the “must visit” inclusion in any itinerary from or to Sydney. Our airport, Newcastle resource management principles have been implemented in Airport (NTL) offers multiple direct daily flights from/to Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, thereby opening many more itinerary Port Stephens. options. Port Stephens is the perfect “beyond city” Australian experience. The effective management of the marine and terrestrial features The pristine waterways, unpolluted ocean and bay beaches and world famous coastal sand dunes provide the setting for many of the adventure is obvious in the abundant Port Stephens environment filled with activities. The gems in the crown are our famous dolphin watch cruises and the 4WD and quad bike tours in the dunes. No one else has a remarkable flora, fauna and marine species. 32 kilometre long dune system beside such a magnificent and extensive marine park. But there is so much more! Port Stephens is a wonderland tourism experience and the Worimi We are also famous for our whale watch cruises, sea kayaking, shark and ray feeding, parasailing, fishing, scuba diving, dinner cruises, easy Aboriginal Nation wishes all who arrive an enjoyable time. bushwalking, horse riding, camel riding, wineries, golf, fun parks, helicopter rides, native animal farm, koalas in the wild and the list goes on. Essentially, Port Stephens is a single, easy to reach destination that offers all the attractions and activities one could want in a beyond city, Destination Australian experience. Port Stephens CONTENTS 3 Quick Facts BEST TIME TO VISIT Port Stephens is an ideal location throughout the whole year, especially during May to November with the opportunity to see the annual migration of the humpback whales. To get the best rates and availability, we suggest itineraries between Sundays to Thursdays and outside school holidays however any time of year is a good time to visit. • NSW Schools Holidays – Winter - June/July Spring - September/October Summer - December/January TEN GREAT REASONS TO INCLUDE PORT STEPHENS ON YOUR ITINERARY Autumn - April 1. The drive is easy: only a 3 hour coach trip, mainly scenic freeway with very little traffic holdups. For exact dates visit www.schools.nsw.edu.au/calendar/ Port 2. Multiple departure times for dolphin watching and sand dune tours and most activities. • Whale Watch Season – May to October Stephens Tourism This means that customers still get the experience in the event of unforseen holdups or problems. • Dolphin Watch Season – All year round Itineraries can easily be adjusted if necessary. 3. Ample coach parking throughout the area and at all major tour departure points and attractions. CLIMATE 4. Close to Sydney, transport connections and other desirable locations. The road, rail and air links Port Stephens enjoys a temperate year round climate without the high humidity and seasonal with Hunter Valley, Blue Mountains, Pacific Coast and other major capital cities mean that many temperature extremes. The following table summarises our temperature and rain days. popular destinations are within easy reach. 5. More local meal options. From onboard packaged meals with Moonshadow to winery BBQ’s, PORT STEPHENS (NELSON BAY) LONG-TERM AVERAGES: ample restaurants and clubs all able to cater for groups and FIT’s. Choose from budget to luxury JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC ANNUAL and special diets (vegetarian, Halal, Celiac etc) are not a problem. MEAN 27.4 27.0 25.9 23.8 20.8 18.5 17.6 18.8 21.4 23.2 24.8 26.4 23.0 MAX (°C) 6. More activities in one compact area. This allows the ability to “value add” or customise an itinerary MEAN as well as the opportunity to “up sell” with optional activities. 18.0 18.3 16.9 14.5 11.5 9.4 8.3 9.1 11.1 13.3 15.1 17.0 13.5 MIN (°C) 7. Airport in Port Stephens with direct multiple connections to major capital cities. This means no MEAN 10.3 10.0 11.0 11.4 12.6 11.6 11.5 10.7 9.9 10.0 9.8 9.9 128.7 need for a return trip to Sydney. (see attached itinerary as an example) RAIN DAYS 8. Great weather – being north (the sunny side) of Sydney, the winters are mild. Being south of Queensland, the summers are milder. ACCOMMODATION Port Stephens has accommodation for every need, your clients can be satisfied with farmstays, holiday 9. Port Stephens offers many accommodation options to suit FIT, group, budget or luxury travellers. units, backpackers, hotels, motels, resorts and B&Bs. A complete list of accommodation can be viewed 10. Port Stephens has multiple tour operators (dolphin and whale watching and sand dune adventures) by visiting www.portstephens.org.au which increases reliability and choice. CONTENTS 4 Arrive at Newcastle Airport and hit the beach in minutes Transport AIR Located in the heart of Port Stephens, Newcastle Airport now hosts a great range of airlines – Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Aeropelican, Brindabella, REX and QantasLink with direct daily flights from/to Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney, Gold Coast, Ballina and a host of regional NSW destinations. For more information on Newcastle Airport call (02) 4928 9800 or visit www.newcastleairport.com.au Click here for link to timetables. COACH Port Stephens Coaches depart daily from Sydney via Chatswood, Hornsby and Raymond Terrace to Port Stephens. All major coach companies provide charter services to Port Stephens and luxury Newcastle Airport is located in Port Stephens and is a 25 minute drive from the coaches are available for charter from Port Stephens Coaches. For more information call Port Stephens beautiful beaches this area has to offer. Coaches on 1800 045 949. Airlines flying directly to Newcastle Airport are Aeropelican, Brindabella Airlines, Click here for link to timetables. Jetstar, QantasLink, and Virgin Australia. TRANSFERS Newcastle Airport: your gateway to Port Stephens. Port Stephens Coaches provide a pick up from Newcastle Railway Station and Newcastle www.newcastleairport.com.au Airport to Port Stephens on a regular basis. For more information call Port Stephens Coaches on 1800 045 949. Click here for link to timetables. /NTLairport @NTLairport RAIL Country Link provides services in and out of Newcastle from all over New South Wales. Coach transfers link with train schedules. Call the Transport Information Line on 131 500. HIRE CARS Destination All major hire car companies are based at Newcastle Airport in Port Stephens. Port Stephens CONTENTS 5 BRISBANE CAIRNS BY ROAD Hwy BY AIR To Dungog and Barrington Tops National Park From Brisbane New England Pacic Hwy DUBBO Golden Hwy PORT STEPHENS BRISBANE Williams River To Gloucester GOLD COAST NEWCASTLE and Barrington Tops SYDNEY Newell Hwy Hume Hwy PORT STEPHENS CANBERRA NEWCASTLE AIRPORT SYDNEY MELBOURNE Myall Lakes MELBOURNE Karuah River Clarence PACIFIC HIGHWAY Town Bucketts Way Myall River From Dubbo Hunter River Seaham and the Golden Hwy Karuah To Kurri Kurri, Tea Broughton Cessnock and Wallalong NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY Gardens Island Hunter Valley Wine Country Hawks Port Stephens Nest Hinton PACIFIC HIGHWAY Soldiers Nelson Bay Cruise Tours Morpeth Medowie Tanilba Point Maitland Shoal Bay Raymond Grahamstown Bay Terrace Lake Lemon Salamander Tilligerry Peninsula Tree Passage Bay Richardson Road Fingal Motto Salt Ash Bay Farm NEWCASTLE Tomaree Peninsula AIRPORT Dune Tours Anna Bay Lavis Williamtown Tomago Lane Hexham STOCKTON BEACH N Dune Tours Sygna F3 FREEWAY FROM SYDNEY Newcastle PACIFIC HIGHWAY Visitor Information Centre Golf Course Port Tour/Cruise Departure Point Shopping Precinct Stephens Tourism Shopping Centre CONTENTS 6 Top 10 things to do in Port Stephens Destination Port With 26 stunning beaches, huge sand dunes, many beautiful inlets, Stephens there’s no lack of great things to do in Port Stephens. 1. GET OUT ON THE WATER With a bay that is two and a half times the size of Sydney Harbour, there are a number of activities to suit everyone, such as parasailing, diving, surfing and snorkelling. Port Stephens is also rightly regarded as the dolphin capital of Australia and from late May to early November, the waters off Port Stephens are host to the magnificent acrobatic displays of migrating humpback whales, some weighing up to 48 tonnes.