Port Stephens Review, Trying this post one more time.
Jan 27th, 2001 | 02:50 AM
#2
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Okay it did not work again so I am going to try typing it out again. Here goes. <BR> <BR>My wife and I recently spent 4 weeks in Port Stephens, NSW Australia. Our holiday finished on the 06-JAN-2001. <BR> <BR>As usual the weather was perfect, blue skies and plenty of warm sunny days. <BR> <BR>We decided to become the ultimate tourists and try as many of the activities as we could so that we could either recommend them or not. So the following are the activities we did: <BR> <BR>1. Jet Skiing - cost A$60.00/per person/per 30 mins. These are not speed limited machines and they go very fast, you are in control of the jet ski and no license is required. You are under supervision by the operator in a rescue craft. Excitement factor we rated as good, value for money we rated as fair. <BR>This was done from the Anchorage mariner at Corlette, Port Stephens. <BR> <BR>2. Quad Bike Adventure riding - This is an acyivity that I highly recommend, no experience is necessary nor do you require a license. you are in control of the quad bike at all times, though you are under the guidance of a qualified instructor. You are given a 30 min training and safety lecture before the ride gets under way for real. The ride itself is through and over the Stockton Sand Dunes and it is absolutely spectacular with 90 foot vertical sand dune drops. Cost is A$99.00 per person for the 2 hour ride, value for money rating is Excellent. Excitement rating is - AWESOME. If you do nothing else in Port Stephens, do this. The operator is called Sand Safaris and they also do a 2.5 hour eco-tourism ride as well. You do get to see aboriginal historical sites amongst other things. <BR> <BR>3. Foxy Lady Jet Boat ride - cost Adults A$33.00 children A$15.00. Length of ride - 30 mins. Value for money rating - excellent. We thoruoghly enjoyed this ride, it is the wildest, wettest boat ride we have done and that includes doing Jet Boating in New Zealand. The boat can carry up to 12 people but the operator goes out no matter how many he has onboard, we had only 5 on our ride. You will get very wet so wear your swimmers, they carry a dry bag so you can put your stuff you want to keep dry in it. The dry bag goes with the boat. <BR> <BR>I am going to make this a 2 part post just in case it is the lenght of this message that is stopping it from being posted. <BR> <BR>End of Part 1 <BR> <BR>Cheers
Jan 27th, 2001 | 03:18 AM
#3
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Part 2 of our Holiday Reveiw. <BR> <BR>Conitnuing on with the activities we did as follows: <BR> <BR>4. Dolphin Watch Boat Trip - cost A$20.00 for adults. Lenght of trip - 2.5 hours on the Spirit Of The Bay II. Value for money - Excellent. Excitement factor - relaxing. Boat is equipped with a spa pool, high diving board, water slide and boom net. They also serve free tea and coffee during the trip, soft drinks can be purchased at the bar. Excellent views of Port Stephens and good commentary by the skipper. We did this trip twice and saw dolphins on both occasions. The Moonshadow cruise line also does dolphin watch cruises and they have just taken receipt of their new boat Moonshadow 5 which is equipped with underwater video cameras and the pictures are display on monitors in the enclosed saloon areas. <BR> <BR>5. Moonshadow 5 Dinner Cruise. Cost - A$55.00 per person. Length of cruise 4 hours. Excitement level - relaxing. This boat is brand new and consists of 3 levels. The two lower levels are desgned for dining and entertainment. The upper level is designed as a viewing platform with fixed seating around the edges. Boat is equipped with underwater video cameras for dolphin viewing. Value for money rating - Excellent. Live entertainment is also provided and is of good quality. We found the meal to be of consistantly high quality and copious amounts of food is brought out in a buffet style. We have done this trip many times and love it each time. There are full bar facilities onboard and you are permitted just about everywhere onboard, you are even allowed onto the bridge to have a chat with the skipper which we enjoyed doing. <BR> <BR>Hire Boat - We hired Porpoise II, which is a 30 foot cruiser, for the day. Cost A$275.00, it has full toilet and shower facilities. It also has a full galley and berthing for 6 people. We had a very enjoyable day out on the harbour topped off with a great lunch at the Tea Gardens Hotel. <BR> <BR>7. Tobogganing - Nelson Bay Toboganning Park. Cost A$12.00 per run. Excitement factor - Thrilling. Value for money - good. <BR> <BR>If anyone has any specific questions about Port Stephens please feel free to e-mail me direct and I will answer your questions as best as possible. <BR> <BR>We did a whole lot more but this will do for now. <BR> <BR>Cheers <BR>
