We LOVE Port Stephens!

Yes, I missed writing yesterday, but for the best reason possible... we were having too much fun experiencing Port Stephens and were WAY too tired to write in the evening! What a family-friendly mecca this is!


Our first day started with a boat tour with Imagine Cruises, a catamaran which does dolphin watches, whale watches and snorkelling cruises depending on the season. No whales are around at the moment so dolphins and snorkelling were the order of the day and owner/skipper Frank was in charge.

We spotted a pod of female and baby dolphins which was fantastic. Unfortunately they didn’t come too close, so it was on to Lighthouse Cove on Fingal Island for snorkelling. Amber was a little uncertain about this since Woebegone sharks were a probability, but she gave it a good go. I managed to find another buddy for a short snorkel and yes we DID see a shark which was very exciting.

Back onboard, Amber perched on the bowsprit above the nets and didn’t move from there for the remainder of the trip. Three and a half hours sped by and we arrived back in the harbour just after five and set up camp at Fingal Bay campground.

The next day was a mega activity day, arranged by our new friend Tars. It started with parasailing. I have done this before but Amber hasn’t. She was nervous, but it didn’t last and she wanted to go back up as soon as she got down! We rode tandem which is really great for kids, and even got to be partially dunked during our 10 min ride.

Next stop was Sahara Trail Rides where we joined a 1 hour walk through the casurina forest, following a creek on this private property. What a lovely spot and, unlike many other horse trails, the owners have created different trails for differing abilities. What this means is that the horses don’t rush off, thinking they have an expert on their backs, and it is therefore safer for kids.

After that to Oakvale Farm where we fed baby goats, milked a cow, patted a koala and fed kangaroos (and had lunch). After that it was off to the toboggan run where we zipped downhill on a silver track at about 50km per hour. A good adrenalin boost and also great for kids! Little ones ride with a parent and bigger kids control their own toboggan with an easy brake.

The evening ended with us hosting Tars and his son to a barbie in our tent. We were shopping at Coles when the heavens opened in a huge hail storm. By the time we got back to our tent we were met by our neighbours who had feared it was taking off, and tied it down. The trailer was half collapsed and bits were broken. Regardless we had almost cleaned up in time for our guests and shared the most wonderful evening of conversation. It ended all too soon.

This morning it was off to the famous sand dunes.... the largest moving sand area in the southern hemisphere. A chance meeting at the caravan park just before we left, had led to an invitation to go sand boarding, so we joined a tour and slid down a sand dune for about an hour. That was all our little legs could take (doing the uphill climb). What a wonderful family activity!

The drive to Port Macquarie took about three hours and it rained most of the way. Now camp is re-erected and the dryer is going in the laundry so we have something dry to wear tomorrow! I wonder what excitement tomorrow will bring?