Things to do in Nelson Bay, NSW

The best things to do in Nelson Bay, NSW, include dolphin cruises, sand dune quad bike tours and the Gan Gan Lookout.

Nelson Bay, NSW, is the main town in the Port Stephens region to the north-west of Newcastle. Many assume that all of Port Stephens’ attractions are here, but that’s not the case. The Tomaree Head Summit Walk and Shoal Bay Country Club are to the east in Shoal Bay, while the Birubi Beach camel rides are to the south in Anna Bay.

6 fantastic Port Stephens experiences worth going for.

4WD dunes tour with sandboarding – whizz down the Sahara-style dunes
Dolphin-watching cruise with fun boom nets 🐬.
Quad-biking over the Worimi sand dunes – learning about local Aboriginal culture along the way.
Snorkelling with wild dolphins – the ultimate dolphin experience
Port Stephens koala sanctuary admission tickets 🐨.
Shallow water shark and ray encounter 🦈.

That’s not to say Port Stephens’ attractions aren’t within easy reach of Nelson Bay. It’s just that the best things to do in Nelson Bay are not in Nelson Bay itself.

d'Albora Marina in Nelson Bay, Port Stephens — Port Stephens dolphin cruises depart from d’Albora Marina in Nelson Bay. Photo courtesy of Destination NSW.

Things to do in Nelson Bay, NSW: Dolphin cruises

Many tours leave from Nelson Bay, however, including the famous dolphin-spotting cruises. Moonshadow-TQC and Imagine Cruises are among the longer-standing operators. It’s also possible to go swimming with dolphins in Port Stephens. Dolphin Swim Australia runs tours that go into the open ocean rather than the bay, although they start horribly early in the morning.

The cheap way of seeing the dolphins, however, is aboard the Tea Gardens ferry.

The other staple of Port Stephens is driving over the huge sand dunes of Stockton Beach. Sand Dune Adventures offers one hour quad bike tours, while Port Stephens 4WD Tours combines driving over the dunes with sandboarding down them. Sandboarding is tremendous fun going down the dune, and considerably less fun trying to walk back up.

While you’re not on tours, there are a couple of things to do in Nelson Bay itself. The Nelson Bay Foreshore Reserve is very child-friendly, with a playground and water splash park.

Things to do in Nelson Bay, NSW: Gan Gan Lookout

A little further inland, just off the main road into Nelson Bay, is the Gan Gan Lookout. This is one of the most impressive lookouts in New South Wales. In one direction you can see the Karuah River emptying out into the ocean through the big natural harbour. In the other direction, there’s the vast dune system of Stockton Beach, stretching back to Newcastle.

You can pretty much get to the Gan Gan Lookout in your car. From the car park, it’s a very short, wheelchair-accessible walk.

The Nelson Bay weather is arguably at its best in November.

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