shoal bay
Our annual summer escape where we inhale the sweetness of the salt air and sink our toes into the white sand...
Since we bought our van, Shoal Bay was quickly made to be our annual summer escape. Shoal Bay is in Worimi Country. The universe was kind to us that year as we managed to snag a site that we have been rebooking every year. Shoal Bay Holiday Park is directly across the road from the bay, making it easy for us to take our beach umbrella and paddle-board to set up for the day. The location is perfect! The bay is calm and great for paddle-boarding and swimming, especially for our youngest warrior. The shops are just down an easy walk down the road where you will find a supermarket, chemist, surf shop, liquor store, gift store and plenty of cafes and restaurant. Plus there are cute little pop-up ice-cream carts including a boat that floats around in the bay or the petite Scoop and Roll Trike where you can buy the most tastiest vegan mango madness ice-cream!
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tomaree national park
At the end of the main drag is the Tomaree National Park. Tomaree is the local Aboriginal word for 'high mountain'. A challenging walk is the Tomaree Head Summit Walk. It is a fair gradient but a sealed path and steel walkways. The view is absolutely worth it! You look out over Port Stephens and the North Coast. It takes us around 1.5 - 2hrs return, but that is us taking a few stops for our warriors and exploring some of the old war machinery.
The beach at the base of the Tomaree is Zenith Beach. A great place to let the kidlets climb over some rocks. Many beaches in the Tomaree National Park are ancient travel routes used by Worimi people to travel north and south through their Country. Tomaree Head was used by the Worimi people to spot schools of fish moving along Zenith Beach and around the head into Shoal Bay, where they could be speared and caught in nets.
From Zenith Beach, you can start the Tomaree Coastal Walk. This walk travels along the coastline to Fingal Bay, passing Wreck Beach and Box Beach during the walk. It is rated grade medium and is almost 4.5km. Our warriors love it as we walk through the national park, stopping to look at the fauna and flora. be sure to wear enclosed shoes as it's a bush track.
The beach at the base of the Tomaree is Zenith Beach. A great place to let the kidlets climb over some rocks. Many beaches in the Tomaree National Park are ancient travel routes used by Worimi people to travel north and south through their Country. Tomaree Head was used by the Worimi people to spot schools of fish moving along Zenith Beach and around the head into Shoal Bay, where they could be speared and caught in nets.
From Zenith Beach, you can start the Tomaree Coastal Walk. This walk travels along the coastline to Fingal Bay, passing Wreck Beach and Box Beach during the walk. It is rated grade medium and is almost 4.5km. Our warriors love it as we walk through the national park, stopping to look at the fauna and flora. be sure to wear enclosed shoes as it's a bush track.
Bike tracksEvery year that we've been coming here, we still find something new to do or places to discover. There are plenty of cycle tracks so be sure to pack your bikes! The ride to Fingal Bay is fairly easy, with our warriors in tow we smashed it out in 15mins one way. It's a beautiful ride through the bush and it brings you out at the Longboat Cafe. A perfect place to have a well deserved milkshake or smoothie, and then a play at the park or swim at the beach. We also love to ride into Nelson Bay which is a lovely path through the bush and past some of the little bays. During summer, the Sacred Tree Markets are on every Friday evening along the Nelson Bay Foreshore. The market has a range of stores including clothes wear and handmade goodies. There is also live music and food trucks so bring along a picnic rug!
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Attractions
There are a few attractions close by. Anna Bay is a 15min drive away where you can spend the day at the beach, surf, drive along the beach (you will need a permit), go sand-boarding or even camel riding along the beach! One Mile Beach is on your way back from Anna Bay where you can visit the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary. From Nelson Bay, you can book a dolphin cruise or head over to Tea Gardens on the Port Stephens Ferry Service. A rainy day activity would be to visit Fighter World at Williamtown. But with the bay just across the road, beach days are endless and perfect for lazy days!
shoal bay country club
One of our fave places to eat at is the Shoal Bay Country Club! With a beach vibe filled with pops of orange, aqua and white furniture, generous lounge areas and oversized beach umbrellas. It is just down the road from the caravan park and makes for a lovely sunset drink overlooking the bay. There is a courtesy bus but it's not needed if you are staying at Shoal Bay Holiday Park as it's an easy 5min walk. They are opened everyday for breakfast, lunch and dinner, have a kids menu and live music every weekend. Want a lazy night in? Easy, just order one of their takeaway woodfire pizzas! However, our most favourite thing about SBCC is the greek donuts with honey or Nutella sprinkled with walnuts, and their gelato! It is worth a stay in Shoal Bay just for the donuts! For convenience, there is a kiosk window called Mermaids where you can grab takeaway donuts, gelato, pastries (think scones, croissants, chocolate brownies, muffins, cinnamon scrolls and cookies), coffees, juices and smoothies! What more could we ask for?
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As you can see, we absolutely adore Shoal Bay and always look forward to our week summer escape by the bay!
Peace + love, wandering wildfolk |
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