Duration: 3 days
Where we stayed: Riverside Motel, Karuah
We chose to stay here because the majority of places were booked out around Port Stephens and Nelson Bay. Unfortunately, we were late to join the game which meant we had to find an accommodation that was further out than what we would have preferred. The motel was lovely, very neat for a 3 star place. However, it took us about 50-60 mins to drive to any place of interest.
Where we ate:
- The Deck Cafe, Soldiers Point
- Bay Harbour Café
- Holberts Oyster Farm
- The Point Restaurant
- Bay Village
- V Buffet restaurant
- The Greenhouse Eatery
Places visited:
- Sand Dune Safaris
- Birubi Beach
- Camel ride, Stockton beach
- Salamander bay
- Fingal Bay
- D’Albora Marina
- Nelson Bay Marine
- Shoal Bay Wharf
- Tomaree Head Summit Walk
- Nelson Bay Lighthouse
- Gan Gan Lookout
Day 1
We left Sydney around 1pm. We faced huge traffic getting out of Sydney. We reached at 5:40pm. We were so exhausted, we showered and rested. Soon, we realised we had no restaurants near us and would have to travel for almost one hour and it may even close by the time we reach. We rushed and got ready and managed to arrive by 8:30pm. We were starving as we had an early lunch. The heavy pasta for dinner was very satisfying.
Seafood spaghetti
Creme brulee
Day 2
We woke up late and drove up to Nelson Bay. Getting there late made it really hard to find a parking. We got parking at 12pm and we had a lunch/ brunch. We tried oysters for the very first time. Then we shared a seafood pizza which wasn’t very ‘seafoody’. The next activity we had on our list was to go ride camels. We excitedly headed towards Oakfield Ranch Camel Rides. Unfortunately, the lines were extremely long. It was almost like the whole of Sydney had come to ride camels in Nelson Bay! We waited for almost an hour and gave up. We decided to hang out by the beach at Anna Bay and watched other people ride camels from afar. We were starting to get a little hungry as we only had brunch. We decided to try more oysters from the local farm. Then we watched the beautiful sunset from D’Albora Marina while enjoying ice cream because it’s everything in moderation. For dinner, we had tried to make plans at Little Beach Boathouse which is supposed have amazing water views. Unfortunately, no tables were available here so we went to The Point instead which turned out to be lovely, to our surprise.
There’s always a first time!
Oysters fresh from the farm
Dinner at The Point
Day 3
The next morning we set out to Tomaree Head for a hike. We tried to start early this time but we still found it incredibly hard to find a parking. We got lucky because a lady approached us and told us that she was leaving (GOD BLESS HER- she made our day). We went for a hike which was absolutely breathtaking. We treated ourselves to ice cream as a post-hike treat. We grabbed a quick lunch from a small cafe (most stores were closed for Easter Sunday or closed by then). We then headed to Gan Gan Lookout to watch the sunset. This was another popular spot and luckily, we managed to secure ourselves a parking by coming early. The last stop for the night was a buffet dinner which did not go down so well for me.
Sunset from Gan Gan Lookout
A sunset to remember!
More seafood at V Buffet
Day 4
We enjoyed the last day of sleeping in and checked out of our hotel. We went to The Greenhouse Eatery in Medowie. The vibe at this café was pretty unique and we loved the green scenery. Then it was time to head back to Sydney. We faced quite a bit of traffic on our way back and stopped for lunch at Biwon in Hornsby.
Our neverending love for kimchi
