Port Stephens’ biggest cruise operator, Moonshadow Cruises, has partnered with Port Stephens Ferry Service to offer an expanded and improved ferry service between Nelson Bay on the south side of the dolphin-filled waters of Port Stephens and Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest on the north side of the harbour.
The new partnership has created new combo activity packages, with whale-watching, dolphin watching, sandboarding and lunch packages now available in conjunction with ferry trips, offering extra value to visitors to the region
Using four ferries – two traditional timber ferries, a high-speed vessel and a luxury catamaran – Port Stephens Ferry Service will offer one-hour ferry services across the blue waters of Port Stephens six times a day each way, with eight services a day available in peak holiday periods.
Port Stephens’ famous dolphins are common sights on 95 per cent of ferry trips across the pristine harbour.
2014 marks 110 years of ferry services across Port Stephens.
In the sleepy coastal villages of Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest, separated by the scenic Myall River, visitors can visit local wildlife reserves, ocean beaches, cafes and restaurants or take the three-hour return walk from the beach at Hawks Nest to the 174m-high peak of Yacaaba Head. Meanwhile, Nelson Bay in the holiday heart of Port Stephens, offers a huge range of accommodation, adventure activities, bushwalks, harbour and ocean beaches and restaurants specialising in the region’s succulent seafood.
Ferry fares are $20 return for adults, $10 for children aged 5-15 and $50 return for a family of two adults and up to three children.
Moonshadow Cruises offers combo packages including a return ferry trip between Tea Gardens/Hawks Nest and Nelson Bay, a whale-watching cruise from Nelson Bay (available mid-May to mid-November) from $60 per adult. A ferry and sandboarding experience, which includes thrilling rides down the biggest sand dunes in the southern hemisphere, is available from $65 per adult. A lunch package option at Hogs Breath Café is available with both tours at additional cost.
Visit www.portstephensferryservice.com.au or call 0412 682 117 for full details.
For more information on other activities, accommodation, dining, attractions, events, holiday deals and maps, visit Destination Port Stephens’ website – www.portstephens.org.au.
SOURCE: Destination Port Stephens