VISITOR GUIDE Guudji yiigu (Goo-jee ik-koo) The Worimi Traditional Owners welcome you to Port Stephens Port Stephens is a part of the country of the Worimi Aboriginal Nation and offers visitors many unique, authentic and remarkable experiences. The Australian Aboriginal culture, the oldest living culture on earth, is as diverse as the lands they inhabit, encompassing many nations, languages, traditions and customs. The Worimi Aboriginal Community welcomes visitors to our land and invites all to enjoy and appreciate the incredible natural landscapes and the rich cultural and spritual sites. Please tread thoughtfully on these lands, respecting the traditions of our ancestors who walked before us and preserving them for generations to come. The Worimi Aboriginal Nation wishes you an enjoyable time. 2 | portstephens.org.au 04 GETTING HERE 16 SEE & DO 32 CONFERENCES 06 INCREDIBLE BY 18 NEIGHBOURHOODS 33 WEDDINGS NATURE 24 STAY 34 DISCOVER: TOURS, 08 SAND DUNES ATTRACTIONS, ACTIVITIES, 26 EAT DINING AND 10 NATURE ACCOMMODATION 12 WATER 28 EVENTS 52 MAPS OF 14 29 DOG INFORMATION WHALES PORT STEPHENS CONTENTS 15 DOLPHINS 30 HIKE & BIKE 55 DIRECTORY GETTING HERE Self Drive Air Port Stephens is a 2.5 hour drive north from Sydney and Newcastle Airport hosts domestic flights to and from a 1 hour drive from Newcastle. Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Cairns, Lord Howe Island, Ballina/Byron as well as a host of regional NSW destinations and international wy BRISBANE d H an gl seasonal flights to New Zealand. n w E Phone 02 4928 9800 or visit newcastleairport.com.au Ne To Asia To USA Pacific Hwy CAIRNS DUBBO PORT STEPHENS Golden Hwy NEWCASTLE TOWNSVILLE SYDNEY MACKAY Newell Hwy Hume Hwy ROCKHAMPTON CANBERRA To Middle SUNSHINE COAST MELBOURNE East, Europe BRISBANE GOLD COAST BALLINA/BYRON BAY Approximate distances to Nelson Bay, Port Stephens PORT LORD To Perth DUBBO MACQUARIE HOWE ISLAND PORT STEPHENS Sydney via M1 207km Newcastle Airport SYDNEY ADELAIDE Newcastle via Nelson Bay Road B63 60km CANBERRA MELBOURNE Hunter Valley via Nelson Bay Road B63 104km To New Zealand Port Macquarie via Pacific Highway A1 250km Dubbo via Golden Highway B84 416km Rail TrainLink provides services in and out of Newcastle from Tamworth via New England Highway 321km all over New South Wales. Brisbane via Pacific Highway A1 778km Phone 131 500 or visit transportnsw.info Coach Transfers Port Stephens Coaches depart daily from Sydney via Port Stephens Coaches provides a pick up close to Hamilton Chatswood, Pymble and Hornsby to Port Stephens Railway Station and Newcastle Interchange, Wickham (including Raymond Terrace, Soldiers Point, Salamander as well as Newcastle Airport at Williamtown to Port Bay, Nelson Bay, Shoal Bay and Fingal Bay). Stephens on a regular basis. Phone 1800 045 949 or visit pscoaches.com.au Phone 1800 045 949 or visit pscoaches.com.au 4 | portstephens.org.au 32 CONFERENCES ACCOMMODATION + TOURS + GIFT CERTIFICATES + SOUVENIRS + WIFI + GUIDES + FRIENDLY ADVICE! 33 WEDDINGS 34 DISCOVER: TOURS, ATTRACTIONS, ACTIVITIES, DINING AND Visitor Information ACCOMMODATION 52 MAPS OF PORT STEPHENS 55 DIRECTORY MAIN CENTRE NELSON BAY 02 4988 0900 or 1800 808 900 60 Victoria Parade (near waterfront) KARUAH 02 4987 0002 • Karuah Centre, 393 Tarean Rd SALAMANDER BAY 02 4982 7211 • Salamander Village Bottle Shop, 259 Soldiers Pt Rd TANILBA BAY 02 4984 5677 • Tilligerry Habitat Assoc. 2E King Albert Ave We’re here to help. Our friendly staff can assist you with accommodation, tours, transport, finding a church or booking a day spa! We can help plan 1800 808 900 itineraries and find activities for families, adventurers, romantics, foodies or wellness warriors to name a few. www.portstephens.org.au We can even assist finding a unique way to “pop the question”, host an event or conference, book a wedding location, discover a new surf spot, track down a walking trail or simply find a nice restaurant. Come and visit us to benefit from our local knowledge. Call 1800 808 900 or email [email protected] today! portstephens.org.au | 5 PORT STEPHENS INCREDIBLE by nature 6 | portstephens.org.au WELCOME TO OUR INCREDIBLE PLACE Be prepared to have your breath taken away as you watch the sun paint the sand dunes gold, Please make yourself at home as you embark on hear the calls of the humpback whales that a journey of discovery in Port Stephens, a place grace the coastline, feel the wind on your face that envelopes you with rare and beautiful natural as you sail over turquoise waters and smell the wonders. Where giant sand dunes provide the salty air as you gallop on horseback through the backdrop for exhilarating experiences, where shallows… these are just a few of the amazing dolphins are happy to see you and where the only thing warmer than the weather is the experiences you can expect in our incredible welcome from the locals. place… where the extraordinary is ordinary... where the extraordinary is ordinary... portstephens.org.au | 7 SAND DUNES BE MOVED ...by mountains 8 | portstephens.org.au WORIMI CONSERVATION LANDS The traditional owners of Port Stephens land are the Worimi people. Walk proudly with them on sacred sand... see the majestic dunes standing guard over the Worimi Conservation Lands, as you’re welcomed to Country. The Stockton Bight sand dunes (the largest of their kind in the Southern Hemisphere) make a grand statement at an impressive 30 metres high with slopes up to 60 degrees and stretching over 32 kilometres of spectacular, untamed coastline. There is no other place on earth where you can experience the likes of these monumental dunes. Whether you immerse yourself in the culture of these ancient lands or indulge your adventurous spirit with a myriad of bucket-list worthy experiences, you’ll be moved by this awe-inspiring place. portstephens.org.au | 9 NATURE TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY Sometimes, when we can’t see the forest for the Challenge yourself to the Tomaree Head Summit trees, we need to take a breath and get back to climb and be rewarded with breathtaking views, the simple things. Back to nature. lose yourself in a subtropical rainforest, spot rare petrels and fur seals on Broughton Island or Discover coastlines carved by time, friendly experience the stunning bush tracks and coastal dolphins that seem to beckon you in for a swim, trails by mountain bike. salty air that takes your memory back to childhood beach holidays… when life was simpler. See the whiteness of a flannel flower, the turquoise of the bay and sunsets dipped in Nature has a way of bringing us down to earth saffron. Hear the call of the humpbacks and the whilst lifting up our spirits, making deadlines gentle movement of the tides. Be dazzled by obsolete, allowing time for stillness to take in the stars’ nightly performance and inspired by the moment, breathe deeply and re-engage mother nature’s brilliant show. This is why you our senses. get away... to take your breath away. portstephens.org.au | 11 ON THE WATER STEP OUTSIDE ...straight into a postcard Do you dream of finding a beach where cruise in the middle of the big blue bay or join a yours are the only footprints, with rockpools as swim with wild dolphins. clear as glass showcasing starfish and shells that Our incredible coastline dotted with glisten in the sun. 26 beaches and a bay twice the size of Sydney Surf breaks that give up their secrets, see Harbour is not only the perfect playground for underwater gardens at Fly Point where dolphins and whales but makes for a spectacular nudibranchs thrive and a bay that surprises you natural water park for you to explore. at every turn. Discover islands, lighthouses and The ebb and flow of the gentle Shoal Bay seals sunning themselves on the rocky shoreline. shoreline waves, the perfect barrels of Birubi Stand up and paddle or kayak on the still waters, Beach and the glass like surface reflecting swim with the marine life on an off-shore island sunset at Soldiers Point will entice and scuba adventure, ride the waterslide on a dolphin delight you. portstephens.org.au | 13 WHALES SEE A SHOW Witnessing one of nature’s gentle giants breaching and tail slapping as they put on their Best viewing locations in Port Stephens: annual ocean show truly is a bucket-list worthy ■ On a whale watching cruise experience… some say even spiritual. ■ Barry Park, Fingal Bay ■ Boat Harbour Headlands Port Stephens is a world renowned whale ■ Birubi Point, Anna Bay watching destination located right in the middle ■ Fishermans Bay Headland of the Humpback Highway! Whales journey off ■ Tomaree Head Summit, Shoal Bay the Port Stephens coastline from cold feeding areas, to warm, shallower waters for mating, calving and feeding. See the whales as they migrate along the NSW coastline, spot humpbacks breaching and southern rights spy-hopping between May and November from vantage points along the spectacular coast or get up close on one of our eco-friendly whale watching cruises. 14 | portstephens.org.au DOLPHINS MEET FRIENDLY LOCALS The 100 or so Indo-Pacific bottlenose So when you take a dolphin cruise you’ll see that, dolphins that live permanently in the waters although they are wild and free mammals, they of Port Stephens are not just an incredible are treated like family, with respect and care. eco-experience for our visitors they are a vital part The rocky coastal headlands and long white of our local community. In fact, most of the regular beaches of Port Stephens provide an ideal pods are known by name... Shirley, Smoky, vantage point for watching dolphins from the Splitfin and Nicky to name a few.