Things to do in Port Stephens

Festivals & Fairs

Halloween Disco at The Cheeky Dog

Fri, 30 Oct, 4:00 pm AEDT

Soldiers Point · Free admission

This Halloween we're turning up the lights (and the fright) with our best Disco Party! DJ Ghostbusters on the decks from 8pm, keeping you dancing all night with creepily good cocktail specials and a best dressed comp – bring your scariest, funniest or wildest look for prizes. Round up your ghoul-friends, hit the dance floor, and let's make it a night to remember.

Food & Drink

Murder Mystery - BBQ with the vampires

Sat, 31 Oct, 6:30 pm AEDT

Soldiers Point · From $75

Join us for a Murder Mystery Dinner where you'll work through an interactive script, gather clues and solve the crime before the night is over. Seated in tables of 8–10, guests can book with friends or meet fellow detectives as they uncover the killer. Your ticket includes a two-course alternate drop menu, featuring a main course and dessert. The theme is Vampires, Gothic Glamour and all things spooky, so dress to impress for your chance to win a prize for best dressed. Please note: Bookings of fewer than 8 guests will be seated with other guests to complete a table and create the best interactive experience.

Food & Drink

Melbourne Cup Long Table Lunch

Tue, 3 Nov, 11:30 am AEDT

Soldiers Point · From $85

Celebrate Melbourne Cup Day with a Long Table Lunch at the pub. Tickets include a three-course lunch, a glass of bubbles or schooner of Cheeky Lager on arrival, live race coverage, sweepstakes, prizes for best dressed and live music. Gather your crew and join them for an afternoon of great food, drinks and Cup Day atmosphere.

Sports & Recreation

Run Port Stephens

Sun, 29 Nov, 5:00 am AEDT

Nelson Bay · Check price with organiser

Run Port Stephens is a fan favourite! Starting at Nelson Bay Foreshore, runners will tackle rolling climbs and fast flat paths along the edge of the pristine coastline. Racing through tree-covered paths, past coffee shops and the town centre, Run Port Stephens is undoubtedly one of the most pristine courses in the state! With a race distance to suit everyone, this event has everything you need, including finisher medal, event merch available, AG podium medals, timing, photos, and more. The perfect event for runners, spectators and families alike, with beaches and a kids' play area nearby, to entertain the family while their loved ones push themselves to the limit! Come for The Run but stay for the weekend full of activities, with a festival atmosphere including an expo, food trucks, kids activities, and a Fisiocrem tent with Massage therapists. Partners PURE Sports Nutrition and Revvies will be supplying their goodies to competitors.

Entertainment Venues

d'Albora Marina Nelson Bay

Nelson Bay

d'Albora Marina Nelson Bay is a vibrant waterfront destination featuring boutique shopping and a variety of dinning options. Just a short walk from town centre, it's the perfect place to enjoy local food and wine, waterfront walks, fish feeding and family friendly activities. Relax by the water, watch the boast come and go, and enjoy live music on Saturday afternoons! Check out their socials for more information and other marina activities.

Entertainment Venues

Charli Blue Collective

Nelson Bay

Their storefront has a range of hand made and hand-crafted products from over 35 local artisans. They sell souvenirs, jewellery, artworks, gifts, bags, homewares, creative holiday gift packs and more. They are an inclusive store with artisans from all walks of life including teenagers and people with a disability. They create personalised items to suit your preferences and tastes. They also have a DIY in store activities for kids, teens and adults. They create an experience for all.

Image: Colorfast Agency

Landmarks and Buildings

d'Albora Nelson Bay Marina

Nelson Bay

Located in the heart of Port Stephens, d'Albora Nelson Bay is a vibrant marina precinct surrounded by waterfront dining, boutique shopping, and family-friendly attractions. It features secure berths, 24/7 fuel, and a full-service boatyard with a 50T travelift and onsite marine services. As the central hub for Sail Port Stephens and major game fishing tournaments, the marina plays a key role in the region's boating calendar. It also serves as a launch point for dolphin and whale watching tours. Whether you're cruising, competing, or exploring, Nelson Bay is the ideal coastal base.

Amusement and Theme Parks

Splash Waterpark Nelson Bay

Nelson Bay

Splash Waterpark Nelson Bay offers the ultimate inflatable playground on water—an exciting challenge of agility, balance, and endurance, all set against the stunning backdrop of sunlit skies and sparkling waters. Whether climbing, jumping, or navigating the floating course, every moment at Splash is packed with energy and fun. Time flies when you're having this much fun—especially with family and friends by your side. Perfect for school groups, team-building events, and special occasions, Splash Waterpark caters to a wide range of group bookings, ensuring a memorable experience for everyone involved. To join the fun, participants must be at least 6 years old and 110 cm tall. Children aged 6 to 9 must be accompanied by a responsible person aged 16 or older. All guests must be confident swimmers. For safety, every participant is fitted with a buoyancy vest and given a full safety briefing before entering the waterpark. Trained lifeguards are stationed on and around the course to ensure everyone stays safe while having the time of their lives. Jump into the adventure—Splash Waterpark is waiting!

Image: PSCAC

Galleries, Museums and Collections

Port Stephens Community Arts Centre

Nelson Bay

The Gallery has a range of unique and beautiful items perfect for gifts or as a memento of your stay in Port Stephens. Their vision is cultivating creativity and friendship via community arts and crafts. The mission is to promote and encourage the development of arts and crafts in the Port Stephens area and offer the community the opportunity to experience and take part in a broad range of arts and crafts activities. Port Stephens Community Arts Centre provide a comfortable venue and supportive milieu, where creative people can develop to their full potential as humans.

Natural Attractions

Wreck Beach walk

Shoal Bay

If you’re looking for a peaceful spot to soak up the serene marine splendour of Port Stephens, take this short walk to Wreck Beach - tucked away behind the houses at Shoal Bay and visible from the majestic lookout at Tomaree Head summit.  From Verona Road, follow the track uphill and onto the fire trail which eventually takes you onto Wreck Beach walk. Walking through this lush coastal angophora forest leads onto a small cove, with beautiful sand and open views of the ocean, which is perfect for seasonal whale watching. Enjoy a walk barefoot along the beach as the water laps at your feet. When you’re finished, settle down in a relaxing picnic spot and enjoy the solitude of one Port Stephens’ best kept secrets. If you feel like getting in the water then your best option is to drive five minutes over to Box Beach; a better swimming spot with great facilities.

Natural Attractions

Fort Tomaree walk

Shoal Bay

This easy walk on a paved track around the lower slopes of Tomaree Head brings you face-to-face with local military heritage – World War II gun emplacements, built in 1941 to defend the east coast of Australia. Learn about Fort Tomaree from interpretive signs, or take a guided Discovery tour for even more detail. A further track takes you up elevated walkways on Tomaree Head Summit walk, which offers breathtaking lookout views over Port Stephens and nature reserves like Cabbage Tree Island. Humpbacks migrate past here in winter and spring, so you’ll want to bring your camera for whale watching. Finish your visit by relaxing on the lovely sands of beautiful Zenith Beach, near where the walk begins. Or make your way to the nearby picnic area; an idyllic spot to unwind underneath the shade of angophora trees.

Image: OEH

National Parks and Reserves

Tomaree National Park

Nelson Bay

Tomaree National Park provides a magnificent backdrop to the coastal villages of Nelson Bay, Shoal Bay, Fingal Bay, One Mile, Boat Harbour and Anna Bay. With 27km of connected hiking Tomaree Coastal Walk offers you a taste of everything in this surprisingly diverse park. It's the only place in NSW where you can see outcrops of the acid volcanic rock rhyodacite. The national park also borders the largest marine park in the state as well as the largest moving coastal sand dune in the southern hemisphere at nearby Worimi Conservation Lands. The Worimi connection to Country is strong and you can learn more about this at Birubi Point Aboriginal Place. It's an excellent spot for whale watching and offers a range of scenic walks, including the short Wreck Beach walk through coastal angophora forest and the longer Morna Point walk that comes alive with spring wildflowers. As you walk, look for sea eagles in the sky, koalas dozing high in the trees, and echidnas on the ground. The park's beaches are pretty places for a family barbecue and there are picnic facilities around Anna Bay, Fingal Bay, and Fishermans Bay. Enjoy a swim or snorkel at...

Image: D. Parsons/DPE

Natural Attractions

Tomaree Coastal Walk

Shoal Bay

Located on the traditional lands of the Worimi people, the 27km Tomaree Coastal Walk traverses an ancient volcanic landscape rich in culture and nature, starting at Tomaree Head at Shoal Bay and finishing at Birubi Point Aboriginal Place at Anna Bay. The track weaves along the stunning coastline of Tomaree National Park guiding walkers over lush coastal headlands, across rock ledges and through angophora forests, before arriving at the southern hemisphere's largest mobile sand dunes at Worimi Conservation Lands. Walkers will be treated to breathtaking scenery including panoramic ocean views, sparkling beaches and coves, unique rock formations and an abundance of flora and fauna including birds, dolphins and seasonal migrating whales. The walk is best experienced over 2 days (or 3 days for those wanting a more leisurely pace), with a range of accommodation options available in local villages. It's an ideal introduction to multi-day walking, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in nature along an easy-to-navigate track by day, and enjoy the accommodation and dining options of Port Stephens by night. Visitors can also choose to complete shorter sections of the track including half-day or full-day walks, with many suitable entry and exit points along the route. Tomaree Coastal Walk is one of the NSW Great Walks – a series of multi-day hikes that highlight some of the state's most spectacular and diverse natural landscapes.

Natural Attractions

Tomaree Head Summit Walk

Shoal Bay

Take the invigorating short walk to the summit of Tomaree Head, 161 metres above the Port Stephens entrance. As you hike the 2.2km return track, you’ll enjoy unparalleled views of idyllic Port Stephens and its coastline. From the top, you can even see as far as Cabbage Tree and Boondelbah islands – these nature reserves are the world’s only nesting sites for the endangered Gould's petrel. When you reach the summit, enjoy panoramic views of Yacaaba Head, Cabbage Tree, Boondelbah and Broughton Islands from the north platform. From the south platform, views of Zenith, Wreck and Box Beaches, Fingal Island and Point Stephens Lighthouse will be sure to impress. Be sure to check out the historic World War II gun emplacements. Take your binoculars as you might be lucky to see some dolphins. There’s a picnic table at the lookout, so if you have time, take a picnic lunch or some morning tea to enjoy as you take in the view. On the way back down, don’t forget to try Fort Tomaree walk.

Spas and Retreats

Spa Lucca

Corlette

Tucked within the waterfront surrounds of Anchorage, Spa Lucca is a private sanctuary devoted to rest, restoration, and unhurried indulgence. From the moment you arrive, every detail invites you to slow down. Retreat into one of our private treatment rooms, share the experience with someone special in a double treatment room, or linger in the Hydro Suite and relaxation lounge. Leave feeling lighter, calmer, and completely renewed Spa Lucca provides eco-luxe products from Sodashi, Dermaviduals, and Simka which are sustainably made, ethically produced, and use no harmful chemicals. Appointments are essential.

Historical Sites and Heritage Locations

World War II gun emplacements

Shoal Bay

If you're interested in Australian military history, make sure you take the short walk along Fort Tomaree walk to Tomaree Head. The headland, part of Fort Tomaree, played an important role in Australia's east coast defence system during World War II. Fort Tomaree included search light stations, a radar tower, torpedo tubes and barracks, where around 500 army, navy and air force personnel served. Most of the Fort's buildings and guns have been removed; however the historic gun emplacements remain, a visual reminder of Australia's military history. It's easy to see why this location was chosen the headland features panoramic views of Port Stephens and the coast. If you'd like to find out more, check out the interpretive panels near the emplacements, or take a guided Discovery tour. On the way back to the car, take Tomaree Head Summit walk to the summit of Tomaree Head for a picturesque view of Port Stephens. Take a virtual tour of the World War II gun emplacements captured with Google Street View Trekker.