Explore The Beaches Around The Hunter Coast & Port Stephens

The Hunter Coast & Port Stephens areas of New South Wales are not exactly secret places to Australians, but they hardly ever get the rave international reviews they deserve. This might be because they are not as glamorous or developed as some other coastal regions. What these regions lack in development, though, they more than make up for in hospitality, outdoor activities and natural beauty. After you have taken the time to visit the beautiful Hunter Coast and Port Stephens area, it will be on your list of preferred NSW holiday places forever.

Port Stephens' European history goes all the way back to Captain Cook, who noted it on the 11th of May, 1770 and named it after the Secretary of the Admiralty. Twenty-one years later, in 1791, the 1st ship explored the inland waterways and by the first decades of the 1800s, Port Stephens was being used for shipping lumber and other goods and as a stopover for the whaling ships that were active up and down the NSW coast in that era.

While the times of the whaling ships have ended, the great humpback whales continue their yearly migration. Today, Port Stephens is popular as the launching point for whale watching vessels. Recognized as the Dolphin Capital of Australia because of the great numbers of bottleneck dolphins that call the Port Stephens area home, during the migratory months of May-June and September-November, people who go on dolphin tours often get the extra thrill of spotting migrating humpbacks. Due to abundance of unique marine life within the region, the Hunter Coast from Newcastle's Stockton Beach to Forster at its northern border has been declared a Marine Park, including the Karuah River, the Myall River and other inland tidal waterways.

If one thing defines the Hunter Coast, it would be water. Surfers and other sea sports lovers find everything they want along the 90 miles (145 kilometers) of coastline, including sheltered beaches for family fun and exposed points and reefs for experienced surfers only. The inland waterways of the Great Lakes are a paradise for jet skiers, water skiers and everyone else who likes getting out on the water. Between the coastal beaches and the vast network of inland waterways, there's nothing you cannot get within the Hunter Coast if you love the water.

The Hunter Coast & Port Stephens area is so extensive and has a great deal to offer, you cannot possibly even get a taste of it in just a day. Fortunately, you'll find a Port Stephens accommodation to suit any budget or preference. Picture being invited into a luxurious home and being treated to a gourmet breakfast every morning. This is easily achieved in a Nelson Bay or Port Stephens Bed & Breakfast. If sleeping under the stars within the sound of the crashing waves is more to your taste, you will find numerous campgrounds dotted throughout the region. Put an "X" on the map at Port Stephens and the Hunter Coast next time you're traveling north from Sydney or Newcastle. You won't need to travel any further.