Days 14-16 Shoal Bay (Nelson Bay/Port Stephens)

This beach resort is about a 2.5 hour drive north of Sydney. Note - the drive takes longer with kids! We went to several beaches with great names including Zenith and Wreck Beaches . Jason tried to teach me the difference between dumping and non-dumping waves and how to body surf. Not sure I really got it – all the waves looked similar to me.

Even though this is not the Great Barrier Reef, the beaches were beautiful, the waves were plentiful and tall (making some beaches too dangerous to swim) and we had the best weather - not a cloud in the sky! I even got Dylan - a.k.a. Rudie Nudie - who doesn't like the seaside water to jump baby waves with me (I'll spare you the fotos of me in a bathing suit).


Wreck Beach


Zenith Beach1


Zenith Beach2


Birubi Point & Stockton Beach sand dunes


Rudie Nudie

Jason lent me his car (not a yute unfortunately), so I stayed an extra day in Nelson Bay. Slept in a tent at this great backpackers place in hopes of seeing a koala in the trees. I didn't. :(

Woke up with heavy downpour and decided to leave town to hit the Hunter Valley vineyards. Very sad to not spend the morning swimming at the beach.


Hunter Valley - Bimbadgen Estates

A few vineyards and back roads later, I headed back to Sydney to have dinner in Darlinghurst with Hanish and Jane. Driving on the left side on the Pacific Highway (busy, curvy road in north Sydney) during rush hour was no easy feat!