Port Stephens
December 27th 2007 08:30
Port Stephens is a beautiful deepwater harbour located just over 200 kilometres north of Sydney and 50 kilometres north of its nearest capital city, Newcastle.
Best known for its relatively unspoilt environment unlike many other areas along the NSW coast, Port Stephens is also home to about eighty dolphins and attracts numerous tourists eager for a sighting.
Tourists also flock to the area for its harsh rocky outcrops and lush native bushland surrounding the breathtaking beaches and crystal clear waterways.
Due to its location and mild climate where average summer and winter temperatures are around 26 and 17 degrees celsius respectively, the district is an increasingly sought after getaway for frazzled city dwellers from Newcastle (45 minutes drive) and Sydney (under 3 hours).
Other notable tourist attractions of the area include gigantic 40 million year old volcanic peaks that rise over 200 metres above sea level and the Port Stephens estuary which was formed over 70 000 years ago when the sea levels rose 60 metres.
The underwater valley is a popular scuba diving spot where an array of interesting sea creatures can be spotted.
Popular landmarks of the area include: Monarch Historical Museum, Nelson Head Inner Lighthouse Cottage, Oakvale Farm & Fauna World, Port Stephens Shell Museum and Tanilba House.
For those less keen on water activities, the Port Stephens Winery & Boutique Wine Centre and Wonganella Winery are popular places for tourists to sample some local wines.
However, dolphin spotting remains by far the biggest attraction of Port Stephens and both Imagine Cruises and Moon Shadow Cruises offers whale and dolphin watching cruises across the sparkling blue waters of Port Stephens on a 16 metre ocean sailing super cat.
These cruises operate 7 days a week, with a 99% success rate in dolphin sightings and over 85% success sighting of whales during the Australian NSW East Coast whale watching season in winter and spring.
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I agree, Amy. Diving there is absolutely superb!