Port Stephens was a very spontaneous stop along the way on our original six stop road trip up the Central Coast. However, after realizing everything that Port Stephens had to offer, we decided to skip the rest of our stops on our road trip and spend the rest of our trip right in Port Stephens.
If you’re on a similar trip, I would suggest at least staying in Port Stephens for a minimum of two nights, that way you won’t find yourself feeling rushed and missing out on everything this place has to offer.
Below, I’ve listed everything you should see and do when visiting Port Stephens.
Where to Stay:
Seabreeze Hotel: When we arrived to Port Stephens, we didn’t have any reservations booked ahead of time. As most places were already booked up, definitely booking ahead of time is the smart thing to do! Luckily, we were able to get a room at the Seabreeze hotel located in Nelson Bay in Port Stephens. The rooms were just recently renovated into a beautiful space, so we were definitely lucky with our accommodations. They also had a lovely restaurant conveniently located downstairs where we were able to get some flatbread pizza for dinner. Especially compared to some of the not so nice accommodations in the area, Seabreeze Hotel is a great, affordable option for Nelson Bay right in the heart of the town.
What to Do:
Sunset Camel Rides By the Ocean
Riding camels by the ocean at sunset was one of my favorite moments of this trip. We arrived at Birubi Point in Anna Bay, Port Stephens right before sunset where we were able to purchase a 20 minute camel ride for only $25 a person (my mind is still blown of how affordable this was!).
Birubi Point is a gorgeous location on the northernmost point of the almost 20 mile, Stockton Beach. Stockton Beach is home of the largest moving coastal sand mass in the southern hemisphere, which was really cool to see.
As the sun was setting, we made our way through the sand mass, past the ocean, and stopped for a quick photo shoot with help from the guide (excellent photography skills on his end), and finished off the camel ride back at the booth with a thousand great pictures and memories to share. If you’re limited on time, I would highly recommend making time for the camel rides, after all, it’s not everyday you get to ride a camel by the ocean!
Surfing the Sand Dunes
After seeing the sand mass at Anna Bay during the camel rides, we knew we had to go back. We followed up the next morning with sand boarding, something that’s very popular in Port Stephens. Sand boarding is essentially what you would think it is, like snowboarding but on the sand dunes. With sand boarding you’re able to board down sand dunes up to 130 feet. Although the height can be slightly intimidating, it’s a fun time for any age!
There are multiple companies that offer sand boarding at Stockton Beach right next to the camel rides, all for a similar price. However, we reserved our spots at a specific time at a nearby travel information desk, which is definitely recommended.
One of the awesome thing about this adventure, was that once you got on the bus and delivered to the sand dunes, you were able to stay as long as you wanted, with the consideration that buses come every 30 minutes to pick you up. We took advantage of this and spent a good hour or so riding down the sand and loving every minute of it!
Sand Spit at Fingal Bay
The sand spit is exactly what it sounds like, a “spit” of sand that connects two parts of the bay together. Unlike the camel rides and sand boarding which can almost be done at anytime of the day, if you’re looking to cross the spit, you can only do this during certain times of the day-when the tide is low.
After a long walk with stunning views on Fingal Bay, you’ll finally arrived at the spit with the tides coming in from both sides quickly. This is an area that you definitely have to use caution as people have died here in the past. The tide was starting to get higher while we were there mid-day, so I had to quickly run across the almost 3,000 ft long spit, took a couple of photos, and ran straight back to mainland. Honestly, if you see a clear pathway of sand in the middle connecting the two lands, you’re totally safe to walk across and there’s no need for concern. On the flip side, if there isn’t any sand connecting and you’re on the other side of the Sand Spit, you’ll have to wait until the tide goes down before crossing back over to mainland.
Stunning Sunsets by the Port
After a great couple of days with many adventures, the perfect way for us to unwind was to get a nice dinner in front of the boat house and take in the picture-perfect sunsets that Port Stephens has to offer.
When I say picture-perfect, I honestly mean picture-perfect. There was the beautiful ocean with sail boats in the distance, palm trees and of course, dolphins swimming in the background. I fell in love with Port Stephens and the small town feel it has, with so much to offer.
Overall, I would recommend Port Stephens to anyone that is looking for a short getaway to a lovely little area that has a lot to offer. Have you ever been on a road trip and stayed at the first place?
