Vacation report - Port Stephens
Apr 11th, 2005, 05:59 AM
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Vacation report - Port Stephens
Hi All,
We have just returned from another fantastic holiday in Port Stephens and I though I would fill you all in on what we did whilst we were there.
Firstly the weather was a bit of a mixed bag, for the first week we had glorious sunshine and hot temps then the next two weeks were a bit average with a few days of rain.
Anyway we took a look at the Port Stephens Winery which is located in the Sand Hills on Nelson Bay Rd. When we went there they were having a Jazz festival so we had some lunch and sat back and listened to the music for a while, it was a most enjoyable afternoon and the cellar was open for tastings which we also enjoyed. They have a good variety of wines from all the Hunter vineyards as well as other wineries around the country. I reckon it is a good option for those people on a tight time schedule who want to tast and by wines from the Hunter wineries, you can do it all from the one place.
I did a couple of fishing charters and I must say that they were the best ones that I have erver done anywhere. The skipper was a very knowlegeable man and really worked to give his paying guests what they came to do and that was catch some really outstanding fish. They only take a maximum of 8 people but will go out with only 6.
On the first charter we caught 37 Dolphin fish also known as Mahi Mahi and 40 Leather Jackets. The Dolphin fish are extremely nice table fish and the size of the fish we caught were in the 1.5 to 2 metre range. On the second charter I did we ended up with 23 Dolphin fish, about 45 Leather Jackets and a couple of Flathead. The charter boat was called Full Stik and it cost me A$120.00 for a half day outing. The day before my second trip they had a couple of American guys who hired the boat for the entire day as they wanted to try their luck catching Marlin, they ended up getting 3 of them which were all tagged and released.
We took the ferry from Nelson Bay over to Tea Gardens and had a nice lunch at one of the eateries alongside the riverfront. It was a nice run over there and back in the ferry and the meals were good and not expensive, it made for a great day out for the family.
On the restaurant front we tried several places most of which produced very nice meals. We went to the Country Club Spa Resort at Shoal Bay for a meal at Mermaids and the prices were very reasonable and the food was very good. Depz at Nelson Bay was also very good with their food and they are a BYO restaurant which means you can bring your on alcoholic beverage with you. There is a bottle shop just down the street which came in handy.
We did some bush walking and walked up to the viewing platform on top of Mount Tomaree. The views from up there are spectacular.
Well that will do for now, if anyone wants to ask specific questions on Port Stephens I will try to answer them as best as possible.
Cheers
Paul_S
We have just returned from another fantastic holiday in Port Stephens and I though I would fill you all in on what we did whilst we were there.
Firstly the weather was a bit of a mixed bag, for the first week we had glorious sunshine and hot temps then the next two weeks were a bit average with a few days of rain.
Anyway we took a look at the Port Stephens Winery which is located in the Sand Hills on Nelson Bay Rd. When we went there they were having a Jazz festival so we had some lunch and sat back and listened to the music for a while, it was a most enjoyable afternoon and the cellar was open for tastings which we also enjoyed. They have a good variety of wines from all the Hunter vineyards as well as other wineries around the country. I reckon it is a good option for those people on a tight time schedule who want to tast and by wines from the Hunter wineries, you can do it all from the one place.
I did a couple of fishing charters and I must say that they were the best ones that I have erver done anywhere. The skipper was a very knowlegeable man and really worked to give his paying guests what they came to do and that was catch some really outstanding fish. They only take a maximum of 8 people but will go out with only 6.
On the first charter we caught 37 Dolphin fish also known as Mahi Mahi and 40 Leather Jackets. The Dolphin fish are extremely nice table fish and the size of the fish we caught were in the 1.5 to 2 metre range. On the second charter I did we ended up with 23 Dolphin fish, about 45 Leather Jackets and a couple of Flathead. The charter boat was called Full Stik and it cost me A$120.00 for a half day outing. The day before my second trip they had a couple of American guys who hired the boat for the entire day as they wanted to try their luck catching Marlin, they ended up getting 3 of them which were all tagged and released.
We took the ferry from Nelson Bay over to Tea Gardens and had a nice lunch at one of the eateries alongside the riverfront. It was a nice run over there and back in the ferry and the meals were good and not expensive, it made for a great day out for the family.
On the restaurant front we tried several places most of which produced very nice meals. We went to the Country Club Spa Resort at Shoal Bay for a meal at Mermaids and the prices were very reasonable and the food was very good. Depz at Nelson Bay was also very good with their food and they are a BYO restaurant which means you can bring your on alcoholic beverage with you. There is a bottle shop just down the street which came in handy.
We did some bush walking and walked up to the viewing platform on top of Mount Tomaree. The views from up there are spectacular.
Well that will do for now, if anyone wants to ask specific questions on Port Stephens I will try to answer them as best as possible.
Cheers
Paul_S
Apr 11th, 2005, 06:09 AM
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hey Paul
the cricket club are headed to port stephens for our end of season (booze up) trip this weekend.
Now most of the fellows wont get beyond our palatial accommodation at the PCYC nelsons bay and the nelsons bay rsl and the shoal bay pub but....
have you ever been out to Broughton island? thinking of trying a trip out there on saturday.
the cricket club are headed to port stephens for our end of season (booze up) trip this weekend.
Now most of the fellows wont get beyond our palatial accommodation at the PCYC nelsons bay and the nelsons bay rsl and the shoal bay pub but....
have you ever been out to Broughton island? thinking of trying a trip out there on saturday.
Apr 11th, 2005, 06:31 AM
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Hi John,
Yes I have fished Broughton on many occasions. Very good fishing grounds for Snapper and Jew fish but this time of year you would need to make the numbers up to get the charter boys to go out. I reckon Full Stik would be your best shot as they will go out with a minimum of 6 the other charter boys have much bigger boats and need larger minimums in order to go out.
For what you get for your money you really cannot fault these guys they provide everything and they clean the fish and divy them out at the end of the charter.
The old Razzle is a pretty good place to unwind but the Pub at the Country Club has lost a lot of its appeal, the new resort owners are trying to attract a different class of people now days. The beer garden is essentially gone and the character of the place has totally changed. They are after the the refined clientel these days. But the meals at Mermaids are better value than the meals at the RSL.
Cheers
Paul
Yes I have fished Broughton on many occasions. Very good fishing grounds for Snapper and Jew fish but this time of year you would need to make the numbers up to get the charter boys to go out. I reckon Full Stik would be your best shot as they will go out with a minimum of 6 the other charter boys have much bigger boats and need larger minimums in order to go out.
For what you get for your money you really cannot fault these guys they provide everything and they clean the fish and divy them out at the end of the charter.
The old Razzle is a pretty good place to unwind but the Pub at the Country Club has lost a lot of its appeal, the new resort owners are trying to attract a different class of people now days. The beer garden is essentially gone and the character of the place has totally changed. They are after the the refined clientel these days. But the meals at Mermaids are better value than the meals at the RSL.
Cheers
Paul
Apr 11th, 2005, 10:02 PM
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Hey A/D ....good to hear from you again.
was just about 12 months since u were here...thought of it when Jenny hopped on the plane to Montreal the other day.
This time next year....Victoria? SF? Sante Fe???? Kelowna? Nelson? Rosarito?
was just about 12 months since u were here...thought of it when Jenny hopped on the plane to Montreal the other day.
This time next year....Victoria? SF? Sante Fe???? Kelowna? Nelson? Rosarito?
Apr 13th, 2005, 05:33 AM
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Just back last night from our first trip to beautiful Port Stephens.
Wondering how this place didn't get onto our travel radar sooner - it is magic.
Stayed at Shoal Bay - Shoal Bay Beach just across the road, and a pleasant walk down to Zenith Beach for some Bodyboarding in the surf.
The views from Tomaree Head are spectacular, and the early morning runs around the beach trails, followed by a skinny-dip at Wreck Beach are a great way to start believing that exercise should be enjoyed.
As we left it yesterday, it was raining, but the Frangipani and Hibiscus were in full flower, and it was a bit sad to be heading back to work!
Wondering how this place didn't get onto our travel radar sooner - it is magic.
Stayed at Shoal Bay - Shoal Bay Beach just across the road, and a pleasant walk down to Zenith Beach for some Bodyboarding in the surf.
The views from Tomaree Head are spectacular, and the early morning runs around the beach trails, followed by a skinny-dip at Wreck Beach are a great way to start believing that exercise should be enjoyed.
As we left it yesterday, it was raining, but the Frangipani and Hibiscus were in full flower, and it was a bit sad to be heading back to work!
Apr 14th, 2005, 06:13 AM
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Hi Bendigo,
I am pleased that you enjoyed your holiday at Port Stephens it truely is one of the most beautiful of places.
I grew up in the bay ( as the locals refer to it ), and I never tire of going there.
Wreck beach is an unofficial nudist beach the only sanctioned one is Samurai beach out near One Mile beach at Anna Bay. I used to live right on the entrance to Wreck beach and spent many hours swimming there as a kid.
Cheers
Paul_S
I am pleased that you enjoyed your holiday at Port Stephens it truely is one of the most beautiful of places.
I grew up in the bay ( as the locals refer to it ), and I never tire of going there.
Wreck beach is an unofficial nudist beach the only sanctioned one is Samurai beach out near One Mile beach at Anna Bay. I used to live right on the entrance to Wreck beach and spent many hours swimming there as a kid.
Cheers
Paul_S
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