Only a few hours from Sydney, Port Stephens is the perfect place for a day trip if you’re looking for a mix of fun, nature, and adventure. Last week, I spent the day there with the Sydney Working Holiday Girls. It was an early start, but worth it for everything we squeezed into one day – from dolphin watching to sandboarding!
How to Get to Port Stephens
As I booked this trip with a group, they organised our transport for us. We met in a central Sydney location for a 6:45am departure in our private minibus. Port Stephens is around a 2.5-hour drive from Sydney, which gave us plenty of time to reach our first activity at 10:30am (including a stop along the way).
Driving is the quickest option, but you can also take a coach from Sydney. Going by train to Newcastle and then a bus works too, though it takes a lot longer.
Dolphin Cruise in Nelson Bay
Our first stop was Nelson Bay for a 90-minute dolphin cruise around the eastern harbour of Port Stephens with Moonshadow TQC. It was a quiet start, but we were lucky enough to see a couple of small pods of wild bottlenose dolphins – we even saw a whale in the distance too!
I love a boat trip anyway, but it was a lovely way to start our day discovering a new part of Australia I hadn’t been to before. Seeing dolphins in the wild is always a special moment.
Shoal Bay & Lunch
After the boat, it was time for lunch. The group had already organised our Domino’s Pizza order, which was included in the ticket price. As they took our order when we booked the trip, our lovely driver collected the pizzas while we were on the cruise, so they were ready and waiting for us when we returned to the minibus.
She drove us a short distance to Shoal Bay, where we sat on the beach and enjoyed our pizza. After lunch, we had about 90 minutes of free time. A few of us wandered along the beachfront to some nearby gift shops. Since arriving in Australia, I’ve been collecting souvenirs (postcards and stickers) for a scrapbook. I also bought a couple of little mementos, like postcards and magnets, to send home to my family.
We still had a bit of free time, so we went and bought some ice cream from Scoop and Roll. I had the salted caramel + chocolate chunks + honeycomb with Biscoff crumb, and it was DELICIOUS!
Sandboarding in Anna Bay
After a 20-minute drive from Shoal Bay, we arrived in Anna Bay for the activity I was most excited about: sandboarding!
We went with Sand Dune Safaris, and by the time we’d checked in, been driven in a 4×4 to the dunes, collected our boards, and listened to the instructions, we had about 30 minutes to have fun.
We started on the smallest dune. I tried standing up, but it’s a lot harder than it looks! After that, we went to the biggest dune. I sat down for this one, and it was a lot more fun. The hardest part of the whole experience was climbing back up the sand each time, but it was so worth it for the thrill of coming back down.
Was the Port Stephens Day Trip Worth It?
Absolutely, I loved the whole experience! It was such a fun and easy way to explore somewhere new without the stress of planning. Transport, activities – everything was organised. All I had to do was turn up and enjoy the day, which was great.
The group of girls were lovely, and the day was the perfect mix of adventure and fun. Plus, I got to try something completely new and see a part of Australia I hadn’t visited before. I’d 100% recommend it if you’re looking for a memorable day trip from Sydney.
Could a Port Stephens day trip be your next adventure from Sydney?
