Destination: Port Stephens

As I write this, I am hopelessly pregnant as a direct result of cruising to Port Stephens. Though just north of Sydney, Port Stephens is a heavenly boating destination where almost anything can happen. Almost every capital city has a port of call something like Port Stephens within striking distance – not so close that it’s swarming with travelling boaters, but not so far that it takes days to reach. And, essentially, far enough from home to make it a real boating adventure. Yet Port Stephens is unique in its own way.

For Sydney sailors with itchy feet, there’s a choice of Port Stephens or Jervis Bay, both about 80 nautical miles from the Heads. We’ve been to Jervis Bay and it’s truly wonderful. But Port Stephens shines with its rare mix of exceptional boating amenities and ideal anchorages, where you really can get away from it all. The best of all worlds.

As always, we waited for calm weather and following seas, logging our trip with the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol, which kept track of our journey. Cruising at 19.5kts on our 42-footer, we estimated the trip would take us about four hours if there were some currents, as expected, and a light north-east headwind as forecast.

We divided the passage into two legs: Sydney to Norah Head measuring 32.5 nautical miles and taking 105 minutes, and Norah Head to Port Stephens, a bit over 40 nautical miles and two hours’ steaming. For yachties who make the pilgrimage to Port Stephens, it’s still a pleasant day sail. Or you can test your mettle and do it at night.

At 19.5kts, our twin Cummins 480hp diesel motors used about 100lt/h, according to the fuel-flow gauges above my helm seat. But, with the skipper asleep, I eased the throttles forward to 24kts. This didn’t go unnoticed and solicited a comment about the price of fuel. But the beauty about the ocean road is, well, no radars or speeding cops. And I like it fast.

There were no navigational traps, either, other than Long Reef, which can break well out to sea. But fish traps materialise with regularity, particularly off Norah Head and The Entrance. I was also kept company by huge flocks of migrating mutton birds and gannets and hundreds of crazy bottlenose dolphins bounding across the sea to frolic in our wake. 

Just under four hours later, we arrived at the entrance to Port Stephens. The southern headland, Tomaree, is an aboriginal word meaning ‘little brother’ and the northern headland, Yacaaba, means ‘big brother’. An archipelago consisting of Little, Boondelbah and Cabbage Tree islands lies just offshore. The latter is home to the world’s only breeding colony of the rare seabird Goulds petrel. In the distance is Broughton Island. But more on this pearl - my favourite place of all - later.

GLORY DAYS IN THE BAY
We spent our first week exploring the Port Stephens estuary where, in terms of sunsets, nowhere beats the justifiably famous Fame Cove. There are several courtesy moorings or good anchoring over mud. The bay is surrounded on three sides by towering gum-clad hills that offer protection from virtually all winds. But it’s not until dusk that the place stirs into action.

Everyone there headed to their bows with a bottle of bubbly to watch the majestic show to the west. The sky started out yellow, then turned gold and ran the spectrum of oranges, reds, pinks, and purples, culminating in the whole bay being bathed in warm magenta. Then darkness fell and the winking stars were reflected in the black velvet of the water.

Dawn broke with dolphins doing the rounds of the neighbourhood. By day, Fame Creek begged to be explored by tender, either up the short creek or to shore for a stretch of the legs. Staging a barbecue for lunch appears to be a cue for the cheeky local kookaburras to fly down for a handout or even a pat. Afternoons are for dozing in the perfectly still waters.

If Fame Cove is too busy, which it was on one occasion, try North Arm Cove, a well-protected anchorage next door. Public moorings are available. Between the two, we also spent a night on the anchor after coming back inside one late afternoon. The fishing in the channel was spectacular.

But for swimming I prefer a place with a nice, clean, sand bottom not too far below. In a nor’easter, head to nearby Piggys Beach, opposite Soldiers Point, where it’s protected. There are sandflats within a short swim, and the beach ranges for a long way.

Jimmys Beach near the entrance to Port Stephens, behind Yacaaba, also affords protection from summer’s prevailing north-easterly winds. Anchor well offshore as the water is shallow. But you’ll be sure to see the resident bottlenose dolphins here, as it’s a favourite of the local dolphin-watch boats for this very reason. Again, the long sandy beach is perfect for stretching cramped sea legs and gathering shells.

On the flipside of Jimmys Beach, we discovered Winda Whoppa, another gorgeous anchorage offering good protection in bad weather. You need to approach from the Tea Gardens side, crossing the Port Stephens estuary into Schooner Channel, which leads into Pindimar Bay. Follow the channel markers behind Corrie Island. But watch your depthsounder as the water shallows to just a few metres at low tide.

At Winda Whoppa – the perfect name to lure hopeful holiday anglers - there’s great skinny-water bathing for big and little kids. If you’re lucky you might even wind in a whopper. If not on the line, then do try for the local blue-swimmer crabs, which abound throughout this brilliant blue and tidal-flushed estuary in summer.

Another bad-weather option is Tea Gardens, just a few bends further upstream, and Mumms Restaurant, which has a berthing facility, or grab the courtesy mooring just past the Singing Bridge. Watch the tides, as the waterway is skinny in parts. But if you have the time and fortitude, keep going past Tea Gardens, up the Myall River to the namesake lakes.

On the windy weekend, we pulled the golf clubs out of the galley lazarette and teed-up at the new Pacific Dunes course at Medowie, about half an hour’s drive from Soldiers Point. I just missed a koala with my drive off the fourth tee. True! Other nearby courses include Nelson Bay Country Club, Le Meilleur Horizons in Salamader Bay, and the local courses at Hawks Nest and Tea Gardens. 

In southerly weather, don’t overlook Shoal Bay near the entrance to Nelson Bay. The swell can creep in here, but you can escape the wind and anchoring is easy enough over the sand patches (but avoid the cloying ribbon weed). 

If you’re feeling energetic, take the tender or kayak to shore and climb to the top of Tomaree, a 161m, half-hour uphill hike. There are breathtaking views and a chance to shoot a memento of your boat swinging on the anchor below.

You can also enjoy a less taxing walk along the sandy Shoal Bay beach, where the swimming is always in gin-clear water. In the evening we checked out the local nightlife at the local gamefishing club, followed by dinner at the resort. Provisions are also available at the supermarket. However, there are far better places to stock up on local produce...

FIVE-STAR MARINA CRAWL
After weekends on the anchor, in at times testing conditions, we decided it was time to chill at a marina somewhere. Port Stephens has a superb spread of five-star marinas - in our opinion some of the best in NSW - and so we sampled them all.

First stop, D’Albora Marina, Nelson Bay. Dodging the dolphins that surface in front of your boat at the harbour entrance is the biggest hurdle. A visitor’s berth can be arranged with the marina manager. The beauty about busy Nelson Bay is its connectivity. Besides the marina market place and shopping village, the functions and family entertainment on shore, provisions are readily available a few hundred metres across the road in the town centre.

A popular Sunday pastime with locals and visitors is strolling the gangways, so there’s not much privacy. But before you head off you must, and I do mean must, visit the fish co-op alongside and stock up on fresh local prawns, crabs, oyster, and fish. There’s also another great oyster joint I’ll get to..

Next stop, the Anchorage at Corlette. Hotel facilities are available to marina guests, so we donned some glad rags and squeezed our sandy feet into dapper shoes and headed to the hotel for a cocktail. We found that the pool was small, the gym tired, and the bar, while comfortable, lacked a view. While the restaurant was excellent, we decided to dine on board, where the view is always better.

We were not alone, with many of the hotel guests making their way to the breakwall with a bottle of something to toast the stunning sunsets. The next morning, we were woken by the sound of dolphins whooshing past our bow. And this was in the marina. Sure beats an alarm clock. The fuel there was also comparatively well priced, though the resort needed a makeover and the mooring fees are kind of steep.

So it was down to Soldiers Point Marina. Thanks heavens for that. It’s a state-of-the-art amenity with a great restaurant, café, and all the usual facilities. Importantly, the marina had a courtesy vehicle for picking up provisions in town, plus a free shuttle service to Newcastle airport. The complimentary newspapers, cappuccinos and cocktails didn’t go unnoticed, either. Nor did the handtowels. This is marina living at its best and I can’t recommend the facility highly enough. Or Holberts Oyster Farm, which is just around the corner.

OUTSIDE ANCHORAGES
As ever, the offshore destinations at Port Stephens are determined by the weather. One day found us swinging on the anchor at Fingal Spit, just to the south of Tomaree, behind Port Stephens Island. This is a stunning day anchorage with good anchoring over a soft, sand bottom. There’s a sandy spit to explore at low tide, but take care as people have been washed out to sea after being stranded during a change of tide. There’s great diving and a brilliant long walk to the historic lighthouse.

One hot day, we headed outside Port Stephens, turned left, and cruised around to the back of Yacaaba Head into Providence Bay, and anchored in about three metres of water behind the rocky islet. The craggy peak of Yacaaba rose up behind and there were views of unspoilt beaches to the west. To the north, Broughton Island called in the distance.

But it was at Providence Bay, while lolling about the warm teak decks, that I quipped: “This is what heaven must be like.” And with that, I savoured another plump local oyster and polished off yet more salty local king prawns, sipping a cold wine before rolling off the swim platform into the warm, jade water.

However, if weather permits, Broughton Island, about 12 nautical miles north-east of the heads, or a half-hour cruise away, has no equal. Cruise inside Cabbage Tree Island, watching out for the reef off its north-western tip and keep well clear of the bomboras called The Sisters on your chart to the south-west of Broughton Island. But it’s pretty easy going, really.

On our maiden visit we headed for North Beach, which has subsequently become one of our favourite east coast anchorages. It’s best in light winds with no swell, as it faces north, which isn’t ideal in summer. And, while protected from southerlies, they usually bring big seas. So, a perfect scenario is a few days after a southerly when the sea is coming away and the wind swinging around to the east. Or look for the weak southerly changes of summer.

There’s a courtesy mooring - grab it if it’s free - or you can anchor over the sand 200 to 300m off the beach. But, being an oceanic anchorage, we also deployed the anchor even when we had the mooring, in such a way that it wouldn’t foul, to make doubly sure we weren’t going anywhere.

Although I’ve visited Broughton Island many times now, the spectacular view ranging from the island’s craggy shores to the neighbouring islands and unspoilt beaches to the west, across to the mountains in the Myall Lakes National Park, gives me goosebumps just looking at the holiday snaps.

The beachcombing is brilliant, the bushwalks stirring, and the fishing is bountiful. Days were spent jigging calamari for lunch, kayaking to the beach, doing sundowners on shore, walking to Esmeralda Cove - watch out for the mutton bird holes - and trolling lures around the bomboras for bonito and kingfish. 

Coal Shaft Bay also has good anchoring on sand and offers protection from summer’s north-easterly winds. Mind the reef here (and at North Beach) on your way in. Best to stick just 50m from shore. There’s more great snorkelling and you can handfeed your fish frames to the stingrays that sleep underneath visiting boats.

On the eastern side of Broughton is Esmeralda Cove, which is exposed to southerly weather. But it’s home to a cluster of fishing cottages that have their own lightweight moorings, and is a popular spot for trailerboat fishos. In case of an emergency there’s a VHF radio on shore, along with a water tank and public toilets.

If you decide to overnight at Broughton, check the weather forecast and log in with Port Stephens Coastal Patrol. It’s an oceanic anchorage, so expect some wave action at night. But there is no better island boating adventure in NSW.

A MARLIN ON THE WAY HOME
After eight consecutive weekends cruising Port Stephens, it was time to set sail. We motored home via the underwater canyons 20 nautical miles offshore, trolling lures for marlin. After all, Port Stephens is one of the most famous gamefishing ports on the east coast.

The Newcastle Canyons didn’t disappoint: we were snapped to attention by the unmistakable sound of the reel screaming. After about 45 minutes, I coaxed a 75kg striped marlin to the back of the boat. We quickly took photographs and tagged and released the fish. What a way to end our trip. And there were just two of us. We even scored another strike trying our hand at fishing at some FADS off Terrigal, before making it home at dusk. Sydney seemed almost strange.

Now is the perfect time for a passage to a nearby port of call, so do yourself a favour, prepare well, plan, and make that trip.

See you back at Port Stephens just as soon as I have this baby – which is courtesy of a night at Fame Cove and the great local oysters. Beware!

Cruising Guide

MARINAS AND FUEL
D’Albora Marina, Nelson Bay, is a busy marina offering floating berths for vessels up to 100ft, excellent boating amenities and facilities, and a shopping village with restaurants and the local fishermen’s co-op with prawns fresh off the trawler. There’s often live entertainment on Sundays. Onshore accommodation is available at the Crows Nest apartment. Phone (02) 4984 1333, or visit www.dalboramarinas.com.au for more information.

Soldiers Point Marina is owned by marina identity Jeff D’Albora and is a state-of-the-art boutique-style marina with fine dining at The Point Restaurant, casual meals at the Bimini Bar and Café, courtesy cappuccinos in the morning and cocktails at sunset. Patrons have use of the courtesy vehicle and transfers to Newcastle airport are available by prior arrangement. Phone (02) 4982 7445, or visit www.soldierspointmarina.com.au for more information.

The Anchorage Corlette Point Road is part of the Peppers luxury resort group, with excellent accommodation for your boat and yourself if you don’t fancy sleeping on board. Marina patrons have use of the resort’s facilities. Dolphins frequent the marina at sunset and sunrise. Diesel is usually well-priced. Phone (02) 4981 1388, or visit www.anchoragemarina.com.au for more information.

Lemon Tree Passage Marina has the cheapest fuel in town, but access is not the best. Phone: (02) 49 824 782.

Tea Gardens Boat Shed has casual moorings in the scenic lower Myall River if you feel like exploring this quaint town. The fuel is reasonably priced and the service is friendly. Phone: (02) 4997 0307.

INTERCLUB GAMEFISHING TOURNAMENT
Starting the last weekend of February each year, the Interclub gamefishing tournament is the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere. Over two consecutive weekends, some 220 boats and 1000 anglers fish for the prized black, blue, and striped marlin. There are also prizes for sharks and other gamefish.

Most fish are tagged and released, although there is a capture division. Last year, 221 boats participated in the tournament and the 930 anglers tagged and released 278 marlin, 16 sharks, and 169 other gamefish, proving that Port Stephens really is a world class gamefishing destination. 

While marina berths are in short supply during the tournament, it’s well-worth a drive up to cast an eye over the flash recreational fishing fleet. Many big-ticket American gameboats make their debut at the tournament and most Australian and other gameboat brands are well represented on the marinas. Fuel sales over the two weekends surpass $1 million. 

Australia’s largest luxury boatbuilder, Riviera, will be one of the sponsors of the 2007 tournament and plans to produce a television program covering the tournament for national and international broadcast. For more details on the Interclub, phone Pat Jones on 0417 770 900, or visit www.gfaa.asn.au

CONNECTIVITY
At Newcastle airport we picked up a $50-a-day hire car and made the two-hour trip back to Sydney.

There are also flights from most major cities to Newcastle airport – Melbournians have been buying holiday homes and parking their boats here and flying up on weekends, as it’s only three hours door to saloon door – and there’s a regular coach service from Nelson Bay to Sydney. Trains run regularly between Newcastle and Sydney. But for the money, you can’t beat the hire car option. Once the boat was in the bay, we did the weekend commute in our own car. 

Back in Sydney, we’d count down the sleeps until the Friday night drive to Port Stephens and our floating holiday house. Meantime, the marina-cam on the Soldiers Point Marina website provided hours of diversion in the office during the working week. Just a great boating destination with first class facilities.

TIPS
Port Stephens is roughly 80 nautical miles north of Sydney. Study the charts beforehand, pick some perfect passagemaking weather, leave early, and tick the landfalls off en route. Avoid Long Reef, the fish traps and ships anchored off Newcastle, survive angry Stockton Bight, and you’re there in as little as four hours or a day’s sailing from Sydney.

RESOURCES
• Cruising the New South Wales Coast, by Alan Lucas.
• NSW Maritime Maps 7A and 7B.
• Port Stephens Visitor Information Centre, phone (02) 4980 6900.
• Website: www.portstephens.org.au, www.newcastleairport.com.au
• Port Stephens Coaches, phone (02) 4982 2940 or visit www.pscoaches.com.au