Things to Do in Nelson Bay / Port Stephens

History of Port Stephens

Port Stephens sits on Worimi Country. The Worimi People are the Traditional Custodians of this land and sea, with an enduring cultural connection that spans countless generations. Early colonial records note that the Worimi spoke a language distinct from those around Sydney. The impacts of colonisation, including displacement, violence and introduced disease, led to a devastating decline in population through the 19th century. Despite this, Worimi people and communities continue to live here today, caring for Country and culture.

The Port Stephens region sits holds many significant Aboriginal cultural heritage places. These include culturally modified “canoe trees” (such as those at Little Beach) and a wide range of ceremonial grounds, campsites, middens, grinding grooves, quarries, fish traps and burial places. To protect these sites and honour Worimi custodianship, precise locations are intentionally kept confidential.

Across the broader area from Wallis Lake to Newcastle, there are dozens of recorded ceremonial places (including stone arrangements, bora grounds, carved trees and burials), more than a hundred recorded campsites and shelters, and many middens along the coastline. Some documented sites occur at Yacaaba Head, Fingal Spit, Anna Bay, Schnapper Point, Boat Harbour, Skate Bay, Fishermans Bay and Morna Point, among others. Access, interpretation and any works should be guided by the Worimi community and relevant Aboriginal cultural heritage authorities.

European records first mention Port Stephens in May 1770, when Lieutenant James Cook noted “an opening forming a bay” and renamed it Point Stephens. These journals describe the winds, seas and shelter observed from the Endeavour. It’s important to recognise, however, that long before 1770 this was, and remains, Worimi Country, with deep, continuous cultural, spiritual and practical connections to sea, sky and land. We acknowledge the Worimi People as the Traditional Custodians of this place and pay our respects to Elders past and present.

Nelson Bay

The heart of Port Stephens is undoubtedly Nelson Bay. It has always been an incredibly popular holiday destination for families and offers a wide range of houses, duplexes, townhouses and units available for holiday accommodation.

There are many Nelson Bay activities and things to do. Nelson Bay CBD offers a range of restaurants, cafes and numerous shops to keep the shop-a-holic busy as well as an incredibly popular golf course, bowling club, Wests Diggers club and world-class marina complex with its collection of shops and restaurants.

Shoal Bay

Shoal Bay is perhaps the ideal holiday spot for those who want to lie on the gorgeous beach all day and party all night at either the Country Club or Wests Diggers Club (both within walking distance). Shoal Bay offers a variety of accommodation choices to suit all budgets.

Surf beaches can be found on the Eastern side of Shoal Bay accessed via Tomaree National Park and the walking trail up Tomaree headland is also very popular with the more energetic tourists.

Fingal Bay

A quiet little suburb throughout most of the year, Fingal Bay comes alive in summer with the onslaught of tourist season. Little wonder too, Fingal Bay has an incredibly popular beach offering protected areas ideal for small children, yet just further along the beach are some out-of-the-way board riding spots very well known amongst locals.

Fingal Bay Beach is patrolled by volunteer lifeguards (check at the clubhouse for patrol times), so it is perhaps the ideal beach to suit all the family members (including the fishermen). Fingal Bay has a couple of shops just a block back from the beach offering takeaway food and general store items.

Fingal Bay offers predominantly duplexes and houses for holiday accommodation, with a handful of small units and townhouse blocks close to the beach.

Corlette

Accommodation in Corlette features proximity to the pristine sands of Bagnall Beach, which is a pet-friendly “off-leash” beach and just a 3-minute drive to Nelson Bay or a 2-minute drive to Salamander shopping centre. Corlette is the ideal place for swimming, dolphin spotting or just simply relaxing with a coffee overlooking the boats at “The Anchorage”.

Salamander Bay

Long stretches of sandy beaches with unsurpassed views are the theme for your accommodation at Salamander Bay. The safe beaches for children, boating and all aquatic pastimes are either right outside or very close to your accommodation. Shopping and restaurants are within close walking distance of most accommodations.

Soldiers Point

Located right on the end of the Tomaree Peninsula, Soldiers Point is an ideal spot for families seeking a beachside holiday without too much hustle and bustle. All holiday accommodation properties at Soldiers Point are either on or very close to the waterfront.

Anna Bay

Located roughly 10 minutes from Nelson Bay, Anna Bay gives access to Birubi Beach as well as the famous Stockton Beach. Numerous shops are located at Anna Bay, and properties close to the water are very popular holiday accommodation choices. For those with 4WD vehicles, Stockton Beach is an experience not to be missed (permits are required and available at Anna Bay Newsagency).

Boat Harbour

Surrounded by a National Park and facing the ocean, Boat Harbour has become incredibly popular over the last few years. Boat Harbour has a small child-friendly beach, which also allows the launching of small boats from the beach as well as access trails down to One Mile Beach and Kingsley Beach. Boat Harbour has tennis courts that can be hired and is just a few minutes’ drive from Anna Bay and about 10 minutes from Nelson Bay.

Taylors Beach

Taylors Beach is a small coastal town located in Port Stephens on the Tomaree Peninsula with a population of around 120 people. The shoreline is dotted with tall pine trees, and there is a public jetty which is ideal for fishing, a boat ramp and BBQ and picnic facilities on the foreshore with public amenities including disabled toilets. You will feel like you are miles away from the hustle and bustle in this peaceful waterside town, but still, less than ten minutes’ drive to Salamander Bay Square Shopping Centre, eight minutes drive to restaurants and shops at Old Salamander Village, or fourteen minutes drive to Nelson Bay Town Centre.