Updated January 2020
This January we spent 7 days on a family holiday in Port Stephens, specifically Nelson Bay. This has become almost an annual tradition for our family. For the last five years, in the Summer school holidays, we have spent a week with my parents in the Port Stephens area.
Port Stephens is on the NSW coast, about 3 hours drive North from Sydney. It encompasses a large area including Salamander Bay, Anna Bay, Shoal Bay, Fingal beach, Raymond Terrace, Soldier’s Point and Corlette.
Way back in our introductory post I talked about how I used to travel to the NSW coast as a child. Having family trips with my parents reminds me of this time. It will hopefully give some good memories to our children. It also shows them that travelling doesn’t mean getting on a plane and leaving the country.
Table of Contents
Where we stayed
For the last 3 years, we have stayed at the Mantra Aqua resort where my dad organised a 3 bedroom apartment. This usually has a main bedroom with ensuite for them. A second double bedroom for us and a twin room for the girls. The apartments also have a kitchen ( moderately equipped) a second bathroom and a laundry with a washer and dryer.
Last year we were upgraded to the Penthouse which had lovely views but the balcony was very hot in the afternoons. This year we had a different configuration and a lovely bush view from the back of the complex.
The best features of this complex are the gas heated pool and also that it is walking distance to the town and bay. Having a heated pool, even in summer, meant being able to swim early in the morning without the crowds. And really on a summer holiday what else would you want to do except be in the pool.
Costs
The apartments vary in cost depending on the time of year. Obviously being the summer school holidays the prices are higher.
What we did: activities around Port Stephens.
Toboggan Hill Park ( Nelson Bay)
This year’s visit to Toboggan Hill Park was not nearly as hot as last year (thank goodness) but still, the crowds were not too much. Great for us as it meant that there were no long queues even though it was the school holidays.
Hot Ice Skating
Using real ice skates but on an artificial surface. The only requirement was your own socks. There are socks available to purchase but I would suggest bringing long socks with you.
They were a bit wobbly again at the start but they warmed to it well and took a lot of convincing after 30mins to get off the “ice” and try something else. It was reasonably quiet on the “ice” with only 2-3 other kids so there didn’t seem to be any sort of time limit enforced. I assume when the park is busier they would be stricter with time limits.
The “Canadian scenery” as decorations reminded them of their first ice skating experience in Canada but didn’t really bring down the temperature in the room.
Indoor Rock Climbing
From the ice skating, we headed to the rock climbing. There was no minimum age so as long as you fitted the harness you could climb.
The girls had 2 climbs each and were able to reach the top of the beginner climb each time with a bit of perseverance. The staff provide Belaying for each climb. Although we enjoyed it last year, this year Mr OTC and I saved ourselves for the Toboggan.
Toboggan Track
This is the main reason for attending the park again and didn’t disappoint. The track is 1km in total with a pulley to drag you up the hill on your toboggan then 8 curves on the way down.
Children aged 8 and over had to ride their own Toboggan and this year they wouldn’t let Miss 9 ride with us as she did last year. Unfortunately, this meant we used up more of our tickets per ride.
There seemed to be some variation in the speed and comfort of different models of Toboggan, but it was all lots of fun with a minimal wait again.
Tractor ride and Maze.
Something we did new this year was the Tractor ride and Maze. The tractor left from the front of the main building about once per hour. We had seats on a “train” and the guide explained a little about the history of the park and the types of trees around the area.
The Maze itself was made of wood and had certain landmarks in each corner you had to get to and then finish the maze. It was not overly challenging, especially when everyone was travelling in a pack but not unpleasant.
Costs
The ticket we purchased on the day was the Family Pass Mega 25 activities for a group of 6. $140. This gave us access to 18 options.
There was no limit to how many you could use in each location and it would be easy to return to the entrance to purchase more tickets if you wanted. This amount kept us busy for about 3 hours.
There are limited food options available at the Park and we had forgotten to pack lunch so were relying on ice blocks. Recommend packing a sandwich to keep the kids from getting “hangry”.
Fingal Beach
One of our favourite places is Fingal Bay beach. When we could get the kids out of the pool we headed to this beach almost every day of the trip.
The waves are not always consistent. One day they may be huge and the next it really will be a “bay” with barely a ripple. We always have fun. Building sandcastles and body surfing and generally having fun in the sun. The one day we couldn’t swim we were watching an amazing lightning storm over the beach. Fingal is always a highlight of our trip.
Shoal Bay SUP
On our last day in Nelson Bay, Mr OTC and I went for a Stand Up Paddleboard ( SUP) with Shoal Bay SUP. We had picked the worst day of the trip weather-wise to do this as the wind had picked up after the storm and the sky was quite grey.
We still enjoyed being on the water and found our instructor, Rod quite helpful and friendly. He gave us some instruction and came out and took a couple of photos of us and then left us to paddle up and down.
The booking process was very easy. On the website, they have a reservation form and then we received a text message with details. The payment was preferably cash on the day. ( $25 per person for 1 hr)
Port Stephens Shell Museum (Corlette)
On our way out of town, we had another look at the Shell museum in Corlette. Last year Miss 8 and I had enjoyed looking around the shop for about half an hour and this year Miss 7 joined us. It is in the front room of someone’s house which was a bit of a surprise but has an amazing selection of shells/ starfish and other treasures from the sea.
It is a very old style with cabinet after cabinet of different species and dioramas. It actually reminded me a bit of a biology classroom more than the slick museums that seem to be around at the moment.
The admission charge was 50c for adults and free for kids. Although the owner gave my 50c back to my younger daughter when she was counting her money to buy something. There is a large selection of shells and shell related trinkets available to purchase. Despite its basic appearance, it was quite interesting and a fun way to pass some time in the area.
Where we ate
The Mantra apartments are self-catering and there is a big Woolworth’s supermarket a few minutes walk away. We did have a few meals out whilst we were away.
Wests Nelson Bay
This was our first meal out. Being an RSL club they had some good size meals at reasonable prices. It still has a nice gelato bar which was very appealing to the whole family.
Fish and Chips at Fingal
We have eaten here before and it is reliable. They make their own potato scallops ( potato cakes) which are quite good. It appears to have changed owners and has an expanded menu now with reasonable coffee as well. We had a pleasant lunch here after one of our almost daily beach trips.
Nelson Bay Golf Club
From our room this year it was a short walk up some stairs and across the road. This was certainly the best meal and service of the lot. It had a great kids play area that kept the children amused until the meals arrived.
The kid’s meals included icecream and a kids activity pack and for $10 they were very reasonable. Tanya’s Earth Bowl that I ordered was delicious. They were very willing to cater to my PKU diet by putting the quinoa and bean mix on the side meaning I could enjoy my vegetables without worrying about the higher protein content. This year I also discovered that they do Cocktails at golf club prices. yay!
Other things to do in the area
- Scotty’s Cinema ( Raymond Terrace) – last year on the hottest day went to the cinema at Raymond Terrance. A great complex with more affordable tickets for a family than the local cinema.
- Sacred tree Market on the Nelson Bay Foreshore. On previous years we have enjoyed strolling these markets on Friday evening. unfortunately this year they were cancelled due to Stormy weather.
- The Inner Lighthouse tea rooms were a nice visit on previous years.
- Birubi Beach is more of a consistent surf beach where you can do lessons or we have used our own boards previously.
- For the adults, there is also Murray’s Brewery at Bob’s Farm that offers tours and has festivals with all sorts of specialised beers and now spirits.
Port Stephens offers a relaxing, simple family holiday with enough activities to keep everyone busy but an attitude that encourages a slower pace. It is great for taking a break from work or school.
I would love to hear from you about anywhere that you have been for a relaxing family vacation. Have you been to Port Stephens? Is there anywhere we have missed? Are there any places you return to year after year?
