WORDS BY JANNE HARDY, PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANNE AND HARDY
Went to Port Stephens to explore and to stay at what local historians say, is the first Caravan Park in Australia. We were thrilled to stay at Halifax Caravan Park for the excitement, beauty, exercise, gourmet delights, indigenous intrigue and what we feel is one of the best situated caravan parks in Australia.
Port Stephens is 2 ½ hours north of Sydney and 2 ½ times bigger than Sydney Harbour, an ideal weekend getaway for city dwellers …hence the brilliant idea of aircraft engineer Geoff Wikner to open a caravan park here in 1946, called after the WWII bomber he bought and flew to Australia after the war.
Today the area has superb caravan parks and we were most impressed with the council owned Beachside Holiday Parks at Shoal Bay, Fingal Bay, Nelson Bay (the Halifax) and further west at Soldiers Point…they have superb facilities and a natural feel about them, are in great positions, reasonably priced and are pet friendly.
The area is defined by steep, pointed hills that dot the land and seascape. It was formed in the Carboniferous Age when mighty belching volcanoes spewed out lava. In the Pleistocene era when inundation occurred, these became today’s shoreline, drowning many of the lands occupied by ancient Worimi people.
Port Stephens area covers 1000 square kilometres. The 21 kilometre long drowned valley, leaves the hills of Yacaba and Point Stephens joined tenuously by sand to the mainland, Cabbage Tree and Boondalbah Islands sitting offshore and the Karuah and Myall Rivers feeding in from the west. This results in sub tropical, sand fringed, clear, blue watered beauty for us to enjoy.
We settled in to the Halifax Caravan Park then drove out to meet Worimi tour operators Scotty and Ray on the shifting, sighing Stockton Dunes that fringe the area for 32 kilometres to the south…the largest shifting dune system in the southern hemisphere.
The dunes are up to 30 meters high with 60 degree slopes and that concerned me because we were about to ride quad bikes on them and 30 meters is tall. We drove to Murrook where Sand Dune Adventures Quad Bike and Cultural Tours is based. It is an award winning enterprise run by the Worimi people who host groups of school children for cultural days as well as running quad biking and 4WDing tours.
We used exclusive access tracks on reserve land. Our guides took us carefully through driving tips on the automatic bikes and a thorough safety drill. We had front and rear guides and we followed in the leaders tracks as they led us through constantly higher and higher dune country fringed by fresh water lagoons and dotted with 12,000 year old Middens that have been newly uncovered.
Riders can dictate the level of difficulty but as we had worked on quad bikes we were happy to go where they led….even to the top of a 30m dune with a cornice. Gulp. Off we went into space, with the bright blue surf thundering in the background, it was an amazing experience.
Worimi Conservation Lands are a uniquely co-managed with the National parks and Wildlife Service and visitors are welcome to enjoy what nature has provided and to learn more about the Aboriginal past in the area…visitor 4WD permits must be obtained to drive on the beach.
Later, Port Stephens 4WD picked us up from their parking area at Anna Bay. This time we were going to slide down the dunes on our backsides.
These guys run a shuttle out to the dunes where you can stay as long as you like. They provide you with boards and they can also take you for 4WDbus tours down the beach to visit Tin Town and the Sygna Shipwreck. Or combine their tours and those of Sand Dune Adventures with cruises aboard the Moonshadow boats from Nelson Bay marina.
We climbed and slid and wore ourselves out, gratefully retiring to the First Caravan Park to sit on the grass and just stare at the beach.
There was beach to the front of us, beach to the back, and to the side, Nelson Head…it was idyllic.
I saw a sign that said Inner Light Tea Rooms and thought it was some religious cult that drew people in through a commercial enterprise. I was wrong.
We climbed up the steep Nelson Headland (all hills around Port Stephens are heart breakers) and at the top we found a green oasis. Nelson Head has held navigation markers for ships from the early 1800’s until the construction of a light house here in 1875 but prior to that and indeed after that, scores of shipwrecks have happened in this area. The first was the Cumberland in 1797. The lighthouse on Nelson Head is called the Inner Light and there is indeed a tea room with an enlightening view over hills and islands and sea.
We booked to go to sea on the Hammerhead, a sexy charter fishing boat that we found moored at the Nelson Bay Marina, on a day that promised to be interesting. Our skipper took us out to catch our own bait with handlines and really, that alone almost equalled my best fishing experience ever… but there was better to come.
After we had a delightful lunch and some of our fellow guests thoughtfully surrendered that lunch to create a burley trail, we caught every manner of enormous fish. The boat furnished all top class equipment although some guests brought their own rods, and they assisted when necessary. The crew stopped a fish from pulling me in and generally made sure we had a ball…their good humour and excellent knowledge made for a super day out.
The next day for something different I picked up a Heritage Walk brochure from the Information Centre in Nelson Bay. In a solid days walking I learnt about the fascinating past of this area. The old track to Newcastle is there, right in town. The bridle paths from the convict days. Boat houses, old wharves and saltwater baths, the first well discovered by Surveyor Charles Grimes in 1795, Chinese fishermen’s grave sites in a cemetery known as God’s Acre, our First Caravan Park, Halifax and a huge number of World War II sites.
Walking along you can imagine the escaped convicts that prompted a police presence at Soldiers Point and the smugglers silently lurking from Bay to Bay to evade the troopers determined to stop their illegal trade in grog. You can see the Aboriginal canoe cuts on Blackbutt trees in town.
A large area of Port Stephens was used to train signal teams and assault crews for the Pacific war between 1942 and 44 …20,000 Americans and 2,000 Australians were trained here.
The remains of gun emplacements are dotted around the area and I climbed Tomaree Headland with family and fellow RV’ers to check them out….also the intense view from the top…the walk up was very, very steep but the paths and ladders were well built and my son Eric and wife Heidi brought morning tea to have at the top which was unexpected and delightful.
A ranger to showed us around the gun emplacements…where the men lived, the munitions store, and mess, all inside the headland.
From the headland we could see the Moonshadow Dolphin Cruise making its way around the inlet so we decided to go and check it out. Our friend Marion who works supporting tourism in the area made sure we were on board at the best time of day and a flotilla of Bottlenose Dolphins escorted us royally across the bay to Tea Gardens then around to the headland and Dolphin Rocks where mother and baby dolphins were sheltering in rocks where boats couldn’t go.
We got wet in the net off the back of the Moonshadow and the sun shone…..this area has the only licensed dolphin swim in NSW so check out your options at the Tourist Info centre under the bridge in Nelson Bay.
The dear old ferry sailed into port as we were tying up at the marina. It chugs around the port and for a very reasonable fee you can visit most places of interest aboard this grand old dame of the sea.
From the Marina in Nelson Bay a bicycle path wanders around the shoreline. To your left the towering hillsides of beautiful houses sit as though they were in the stands at a footy match. There are 25 beaches in the area and along this walkway they are overshadowed by dipping trees and towering Blackbutts that have enormous girths….look up because Koalas live here, right in town and look down because you might see a Little Penguin on the beach not to mention a whale sheltering in a cove.
The countryside surrounding Port Stephens is a garden providing magical places to experience fresh produce like Macadamias, Olives, fruit, vegetables, wine and beers. The local markets are on somewhere every weekend and are delightful.
Our family had come up from Sydney with their caravans. We cycled to Fingal Bay and walked and sat and enjoyed each other’s company.
Every afternoon we were back with the RV mob, clustered along the grass at Little Beach enjoying a sundowner, watching the 13 Pelicans permanently ensconced at the cleaning tables at the boat ramp….or we’d walk along Big Beach to Shoal Bay, picking up whale poo on the sand to send to our granddaughters for show and tell…the place is magical and the First Caravan Park was always sure to spark a million more.
CHEAP TREATS
Ferry Link Nelson Bay, Salamander Wharf, Soldiers Point, Lemon Tree Passage, Tea Gardens and Hawkesnest adults return $20, Concession $18, Child $10 Family $50 under 4 free. Bookings 02 4984 3843
Coffee at D’Albora Marina right on the waterfront or Inner Light Tearooms Nelson Head overlooking Bay.
Nelson Bay Heritage Walk a whole days entertainment for $1.95 pick up your map at the Tourist Info centre Nelson Bay under the bridge.
Tour of the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol radio installation Nelson Head…donation.
FREEBIES
Excellent fishing from wharves and beaches around Port Stephens
Endless bike paths right through the area along beaches, through tall forests.
Climb Tomaree Headland…very steep but good paved track with ladders.
Explore the Native Flora Gardens on part of the wartime camp site between Nelson Bay and Nelson Head, over 120 plant species.
Swimming and surfing…quiet waters or waves with chrystal clear waters …whole area
National Parks walking tracks throughout the region
Whale watching from beaches and headlands…Koalas in the trees, Little Penguins on the beaches.
Gan Gan Lookout
Snorkelling at Fly Point
MUST SEES
Sand Dune Adventures quad biking on the highest coastal dunes in Australia 02 4033 8808
Moonshadow Cruises Dolphin Watch. 1 ½ hours adults $26 concession $21 child $13.50 includes net swim 02 4984 9388
Port Stephens 4WD Tours sandboarding shuttle adults $26, Concession $23, Child $19 stay as long as you like Various prices for whale watching, 4WD tours, Dolphin Watch and ship wreck tours 02 4984 4760
Hammerhead Fishing Charters Various prices, fully qualified experienced staff 02 0498 479 420
Fighter World at entrance to RAAF Base Williamstown hands on, 2 hangars of displays, 20 aircraft 02 4965 1810
Dolphin Swim Australia1300 721 358 wild water swimming with wild Dolphins
HOW TO GET THERE
Port Stephens is 2 ½ hrs drive north of Sydney
Drive along the F3 freeway and hang a right at the roundabout at the end
Follow the Taree and Pacific Highway signs over Hexham Bridge
Turn at Richardson Road (the sign says Next Exit Richardson Rd/ Raymond Terrace, Nelson Bay.
Port Stephens Visitor Information Centre02 4980 6900 www.portstephens.org.au
Natural sights include:
Worimi Conservation Lands
Tomaree National Park
Port Stephens Great Lakes National Park
All information available at the Visitors Centre Nelson Bay
Caravan Parks
Port Stephens Beachside Caravan Parks
Fingal Bay 1800 600 203
Halifax in Nelson Bay 1800 600 201
Shoal Bay 1800 600 200
Soldiers Point 1800.600.204
Big 4 Soldiers Point 1800 827 300
Big 4 Koala Shores 02 4982 4401