Nelson Bay is a small waterside town that stands on the southern shoreline of Port Stephens which lies on the north coast of New South Wales. The township of Nelson Bay is home to around 4,000 residents and is located roughly 60 kilometres east of Newcastle and 220 kilometres north of Sydney. Nelson Bay is a popular holiday resort and makes an ideal location from which to enjoy and explore this stunning coastal region which is a major tourist destination and is particularly well known for its dolphin and whale watching opportunities, surfing, diving, fishing and other recreational water sports. The township provides visitors with numerous facilities including a variety of shops, cafes and restaurants and offers a range of accommodation from cabins to luxury B&B’s.
The waterways of Port Stephens cover an amazing 120 square kilometres which makes them larger than those of Sydney Harbour. The shoreline is lined with small towns and villages, and is complemented with stunning white sand beaches. The eastern boundaries of Nelson Bay lie within the Tomaree National Park which provides visitors with excellent bushwalking, swimming, snorkelling, surfing, fishing and picnicking opportunities. The park includes the villages of Shoal Bay, Nelson Bay, Boat Harbour and Anna Bay and is a coastal area of rocky cliffs and sandy beaches, bush land, sand dunes, heath land and forest. Within the park the Point Stephens Lighthouse stands on Fingal Island and is a point of interest as it was built in 1862 in the design of a Doric column. Other places of interest within the area include the Nelson Head Inner Lighthouse and cottage which was built in 1842, the amazing sand dunes of Stockton Beach, the view at the Gan Gan Lookout, while further away visitors could be enticed to the beautiful vineyards and wineries of the Hunter Valley.
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