Holiday houses in Soldiers Point

Surrounded by the Karuah River, which creates an enormous basin before tumbling into the Pacific Ocean, the Soldiers Point peninsula is a highlight of any stay in Port Stephens. This watery playground on the North Coast of New South Wales is home to the state’s largest resident population of bottlenose dolphins (140 splash about in the Port Stephens and Great Lakes Marine Park year-round), and is also the ideal vantage to glimpse migrating humpback and southern right whales.

When you’re not on the lookout for these immense marine mammals, take the plunge from the Point’s numerous beaches, which offer calm swimming conditions ideal for young families. If you’re looking to pull out your board for a few waves, make a beeline for One Mile Beach just to the south. It’s patrolled by lifesavers and hosts a surf school to teach grommets how to navigate the breaks. Soldiers Point is also the gateway to all manner of outdoor adventures, from zipping down sand dunes in Worimi National Park to trekking through coastal forest in Tomaree National Park.

Summer sees the population of Soldiers Point and the greater Port Stephens area swell, with holidaymakers descending to swim, surf, and chill on the sand – 26 beaches adorn the region. You’ll likely spot the resident dolphins this time of year, but if you want to witness whales, come back in the cooler months, from May through November. Spring and autumn draw hiking enthusiasts, who relish the wildflowers and deciduous flora that cast the countryside in colour as the seasons change. At this time of the year, yachties are also a common sight around town thanks to April’s Port Stephens regatta, which uses the Soldiers Point Marina as a base.

Gan Gan Lookout

Port Stephens is vast – the best way to gain some perspective on your destination is from the 160-metre-high viewing area at Gan Gan Lookout in Nelson’s Bay. From here, you’ll enjoy panoramas up and down the coast, from Soldiers Point and beyond in the north all the way south to Newcastle. It’s a great way to get your bearings and pick the beach, town, or forest for your next adventure.

Tomaree National Park

From Gan Gan you’ll be able to spot coastal Tomaree National Park, just east. The 2.2-kilometre Summit Walk here is like Port Stephens in a snapshot, revealing postcard-perfect stretches of sand and headlands ideal for dolphin- and whale-watching. From here, you’ll also glimpse Cabbage Tree and Boondelbah islands, protected nature reserves owing to the fact they’re the world’s only nesting sites for the endangered Gould’s petrel. The other animal to look out for is the koala, which thrives along this part of the coast.

Worimi National Park

Adrenaline junkies, rejoice! Soldiers Point is the perfect base to enjoy fast-paced adventures in Worimi National Park. Here you’ll find the Stockton Sand Dunes, the largest moving coastal dune system in the Southern Hemisphere, which you can tackle on sandboards or explore on quad bikes. You can also learn more about the Indigenous significance of this land with an Aboriginal tour guide.