The Amazing Port Stephens & Nelson Bay

It was a long time since we had gone on a long drive. Long weekend was approaching. It was Queen Elizabeth's birthday and a public holiday declared in Australia. In winter, its really difficult to go for a overnight trip. So, we decided to to go on a day trip. Trip to the amazing Port Stephens and the Nelson Bay...Yipee!!!

Port Stephens is around 2.5 hours drive from Sydney. Once you get out of the city, catch the Motorway M1 and enjoy the lovely drive till NewCastle. Further take the Nelson Road to reach the Nelson Bay.

We left early morning at around 6.30 AM and picked one of my husbands colleague on the way and reached Nelson Bay at around 9.30 AM. We took a halt for breakfast on the way at McDonalds.

At first we went to the information centre, to pick some maps and decide on the plan.

Port Stephens has 26 golden beaches to choose from. They also have ample of lovely restaurants and accommodation. Its a wonderful place for camping too with lots of camping sites and facilities. But we had to stick to our one day plan and make the best out of it.

At first we just lazied around some beaches. They have wonderful foot paths and cycle tracks along the beaches. In my opinion, this city can be best explored on bycycles. Since we did not have any, we tried exploring a part of it by walking. It was indeed a wonderful experience. Below are some few clicks taken during our walk.

We next headed to Tomaree Lookout. It is a lovely trek and should take around 45 minutes one way. Once you reach the summit, you can enjoy the breathtaking panoramic views of the lovely islands and amazing beaches. You can also spot the Lighthouse located on one island. The trek has some steep areas and most of it is paved areas. In my opinion, this is a must visit place.

From the Tomaree Lookout, we could watch the Zenith Beach. We could see the blue water splashing on the black rocks and the golden sands. Also saw some people fishing on the beach and getting a good catch.

We headed to the Zenith Beach. It was just as awesome as we had seen from top. We just played around on the waters and in the sands. The people who had come fishing, were still there and they had a very good catch. Looked like they were quite experienced in fishing. Some people had also come for surfing. Surprisingly this beach was not cold or windy. It was kind of sunny and that was a huge relief.

We then sat on the rocks and took some pictures. Just then I spotted some fins moving in the waters. Maybe the dolphins or the whales...not sure. We kept watching and they kept showing their fins now and then. Finally we decided to leave. Just then we saw four dolphins dancing along the waves and all in sync. It was a breathtaking sight and just made our day more fruitful. Just sitting on the beach, we had spotted four dolphins dancing along with the waves. What else could anyone ask for :)

We were waiting there to take a picture of them...But then they never appeared again and then we left for lunch. We went back to the city and toured the whole place. It had past lunch time. So many restaurants were closed. Finally found one and enjoyed our delicious lunch along with some live music.

Next we went to the beach side again. There was an open market. Charvi spotted a play area and started playing there. Play area is the most important thing for her. I guess it made her day. As Sumit went with his friend to explore the market and Charvi was busy playing, I enjoyed the beach and the waves and the sands.

After a strong caffeccino, finally we left around 6 PM. Reached home at 8 PM.

Sydney is full of beaches, But Port Stephens has something different to offer you, there is something different about its beaches. Maybe its the relaxing environment or could be the wonderful landscapes, but it is definitely a must visit place.

We have decided to visit it once again in the summers and this time, we will definitely take a halt there to explore it more and enjoy the sunrise too :)...Waiting to see you again Port Stephens ....

The Great Pacific Drive

New member in our small family...Our new car Ford Kuga. All of us ...full of excitement....That definately calls for a road trip. WOW...I really love these unplanned road trips.

We all had our own wishes. My wish - a visit to a temple, Next wish from Charvi - beach and the final wish from Sumit - a wonderful drive along the coast.

Sumit came up with a wonderful plan, visit to the Sri Venkateshwar Temple in Helenburg, Next  take the Long Pacific Drive till the Sea Cliff  Bridge and finally, relax on the Stanwell Park Beach. Wow, all credits to Sumit for this amazing road trip plan covering all our wishes :)

As it was a sunny day, we left for our trip after lunch. I packed a few sandwiches and some fried rice for our dinner. After all it was more like a piknik.

First halt - "Sri Venkateshwara Temple" in Helensburg. It is around 1 hour drive and the motorway is just amazing.

This temple looked like an Indian Hindu temple. It is really huge and has many small temples within its premises. For all those people who miss Indian food here in Sydney, there is also a canteen which provides Idli , Dosa, Puri . The temple gives peace to the mind as well as the soul. I was really missing my temple visits here in Sydney.

After spending an hour there, we started for the next destination "The Great Pacific Drive". What a lovely drive. I would say , Its one amongst the best drives in the World. The wonderful Sea Cliff Bridge standing between the mountains and the blue oceans and the clear blue sky.

There is a jogging path running parallel to the bridge. We took a short walk halfway through the bridge to capture different angles and views of the bridge and the mountains and the oceans and the cliff.

After the mesmerising coastal walk, our next destination - Stanwell Park Beach.

This is one amongst the best beaches I liked in Sydney. It is a perfect beach for families as it has a very large reserve for picnic, also for barbecue and all of it just very near to the beach. The best part is, it has a small pond just before the beach which captures some warm water. Hence the best place for kids to enjoy the waters. Australian beaches have chilling cold waters even in really hot sunny days. So, this pond was more like a blessing.

Charvi played some time in the waters, then we took a stroll on the beach. It has really amazing scenic views along the coast. It reminded me of many Bollywood movies with beach side shooting. In fact, it is a wonderful place for that. We had early dinner and then finally left back for Sydney with all these wonderful memories in our heart.