A wonderful day in the glorious sunshine and made even better by our cruise around Port Stephens searching out bottlenose dolphins.

We had picked the top deck of our catamaran and got comfortable ready for a few hours on the water and some dolphin spotting.

There are almost 100 resident Bottlenose Dolphins that live in the Bay at Port Stephens. 

We spent the first 30mins cruising around the Eastern harbour of Port Stephens, with views of the spectacular Tomaree & Yacaaba headlands. After finding a pod of dolphins we followed them for the next 45mins as they fed on the abundance of fish in the bay.

This cruise offered an exceptional opportunity to witness the playful and intelligent nature of the resident bottle nose dolphins. Additionally, guests can enjoy the thrill boom netting ride. Throughout the cruise, knowledgeable and entertaining commentary was provided, enhancing the overall cruise experience.

The cruise lasted a couple of hours and after that we headed to nearby Nelson Bay Beach to chill and have a bite to eat. From there we went back to the marina and came across a flock of pelicans waiting patiently for fish scraps to come theirs way.

Amusingly the boat yard had a huge catamaran in dry dock with the name Long Time Dead – seemed quite fitting.

After another relaxing afternoon on the beach close to the marina, we decided to take a drive out to Fingal Bay where we were the only ones there – even the lifeguards had left for the day!

Tomorrow we have booked to go on a 4WD tour of the magnificent Stockton Sand Dunes – the largest moving sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere. This includes Sand-boarding Safari right in the heart of the dunes.