Holiday houses in Fingal Bay

The vast Port Stephens coastline encircles a bay more than twice the size of Sydney Harbour. The coastline is so large, in fact, there’s room for 26 beaches — including Fingal Bay, the easternmost suburb in Port Stephens. Needless to say, most days in this region revolve around the sand and surf (head to One Mile Beach for top waves) — as well as some remarkable wildlife viewing.

Remarkably, you only have to travel 2.5 hours north of Australia’s biggest city, Sydney, to discover New South Wales’ largest population of resident bottlenose dolphins, 140 of which call the Port Stephens region home. Along with migrating humpback and southern right whales, these adorable marine mammals are a major local attraction, regularly spotted splashing about from lookouts along the Port Stephens shore.

Other big draws in Final Bay include the seafood — think plump oysters grown and harvested just offshore, plus juicy prawns, crabs, tuna, and trevally — and adventures on land. These range from a leisurely stroll around one of the many world-class golf courses to careening down towering sandhills at the largest moving coastal dune system in the Southern Hemisphere, Stockton Sand Dunes.

The population of Port Stephens and Fingal Bay surges over the summer months, in particular around Christmas and New Year, when visitors flock here to recoup on any of the region’s 26 beaches. The other popular time of year is spring, when wildflowers blanket national parks and create a colourful backdrop for avid hikers. The cooler months also see the ocean’s biggest attractions return to the east coast, with humpback and southern right whales regularly spotted offshore from lookouts.

Tomaree National Park

If you want to spot koalas in the wild, Tomaree National Park is the place to go. This part of Port Stephens is known for its large population of these cuddly marsupials, not to mention all manner of native birds, and dolphins and whales splashing in Port Stephens and Great Lakes Marine Park during migration. Lace up your hiking boots, pick a trail, and bring your binoculars.

Go golfing

Port Stephens is blessed with three championship courses to tee off on, each more scenic than the next. On the edge of Tomaree National Park, a 27-hole course has fairways that are also popular with native wildlife. Nearby there are two 18-hole courses to choose from: one known for its challenging fairways and another in Salamander Bay that offers manicured greens amidst an intricate lake system.

Worimi National Park

This conservation area just south of Fingal Bay is home to the epic Stockton Sand Dunes, some reaching heights of 40 metres, with steep sides often hitting an incline of 60 degrees. Explore them on dune-surfing, sandboarding, or quad-bike expeditions.

The park also contains a number of sacred Aboriginal sites. You can learn about these sites, and the millennia-old Indigenous culture native to this area, with an Aboriginal tour guide.