Tues 14th April

So after a night in Newcastle, we hired a car and drove 30 miles back north (onto a peninsula that Greyhound buses dont run to) called Port Stevens! We only heard about this area through another couple Lisa and Doug who stayed here a few weeks back and fell in love with the area. Apparently so much nicer than Newcastle and lots to do!

Luckily the weather was on our side and we arrived by lunchtime! We only had the car for 2 days so we had to cram as much as possible in in 48hours. There was an option to catch the bus but it was easter holidays and the buses didnt run very often and we would never of seen as much as we did if we were relying on the bus! We are so glad we had the car!

So Mellalucka Backpackers was set in a wooded area and their pet kangaroo Josie was waundering around the camping field! We pitched up and it was the first time we have been on big bushy grass! It was like having a luxury mattress underneath us for once, it was bliss!!!!

Our first impressions of the area were very positive, after driving through the industrial end of Newcastle we crossed over a bridge and the environment transformation was amazing! We felt completely in the country with lots of fields and farms scattered about, but also with the beaches stretching along the east coast uptowards to harbour (Port Stevens). We are staying at One Mile Beach which doesnt have any amenities within walking distance, so lucky we have the car!!!

We only had a few hours before the sun set so we first headed to the Stockton Beach Sand Dunes at Anna Bay. These sand dunes are the largest in the southern hemisphere and go inland for more than 1km. Seeing is believing....as nothing prepared us for the view, it really looked like desert land! Totally crazy. The sun was setting over the sand dunes so the photos were a bit hazy, so we went down the next morning to get a few more good pics.

We chilled on the beach at Stockton for a little while, now the clocks have gone back the sun sets around 5.30pm, so the heat doesnt last as long and it is definately noticable. But how can we complain when we're catching a few rays on the beach mid autumn in Oz...can you ever imagine doing that in October in the UK?....We think not!!

We then went and had a look at the local One Mile Beach. On the way we walked along a road and spotted a few koalas in the trees....waaaah my favourite little animal! One of them was busy munching on some leaves, the other sound asleep!!!! The beach was really pretty and reminded us of Oxwich, with a big curve in around the coastline. A big headland seperated the beach Samuri Beach, which is apparently the naturist beach! Darren faniced a trip over there but we didnt have time!!!!

After a shower we took a drive further into the peninsula to the main town of Port Stevens called Nelson Bay. This is where the harbour is and all the boats are moored. Very pretty with a few streets for shopping and we passed a few bars. We watched the sun set over the harbour and mountains and it was an awesome sight. The sky went bright red and the light glared on us for quite a while...it was really relaxing and we will never get bored of our sunsets, although they can be similar just being in a different place makes us happy!

We had a cheeky drink at a bar before heading back to sleep on our wonderful puffy grass mattresses! Best nights sleep in ages!

Wednesday was an fully action packed day!!!! We got up early had headed to the sand dunes for some better photos and then we drove back to Nelson Bay, as we had booked ourselves onto a dolphin tour. Port Stevens is twice the size of Sydney Harbour and is also the dolphin capital of Australia with more than 100 resident dolphins in the Port. We sailed with 'Imagine Cruises' for 2 hours and saw plenty of beautiful bottlenosed dolphins. One breeched really close the us on the boat, it was wicked! So nice seeing them really close in their own environement. The sun was shining and the morning was fabby!!!

As we came into the jetty we saw another one just roaming around so after getting of the boat we walked around onto the sea wall and spotted him swimming around, I dont know what it is about dolphins but they have this flawless movement when coming up to the surface, its great to watch.

Next on the agenda was a bush walk into Tomaree National Park. We climbed 170m to a panoramic lookout point over the port and also the Pacific Ocean. It was lush and the blue colour of the ocean (yet again) was so inviting. The views looked out over to Shoal Bay in the Port and Point Stevens out to sea, where the lighthouse stands on a little island and can only be reached at low tide when the spit is accessable. The ocean beached looked pretty cool with surfers taking advantage of the huge waves!

So inviting actually we decided to have a quick dip at Zenith Beach! I didnt last long in the water as the waves were so big and the undercurrent very strong but that didnt stop Daz from doing his regular body surfing!!!! He's a pro now!

We drove back to camp for lunch and then went back to the crazy sand dunes for a walk up to one of the peaks to watch the sun set!!! It was the perfect end to an action packed busy day! It was a really long day so shuteye couldnt come fast enough! We did meet our first possom while having dinner aswel!

On Thursday we had to take the car back to Newcastle. We wished we could stay an extra day or two but couldnt justify the costs on the car. But we guess leaving wanting more is a good thing so maybe one day we will be back. Its such a beautiful natural area with plenty of wildlife and sights to see.

We definately recommend it to anyone and its only 2half hours north of Sydney!!!!!!

xx