Described as a "blue water paradise" because of the beauty of its marine surroundings, Port Stephens is located about two and a half hours north of Sydney.

Where is it?: Central Coast. Nelson Bay is 207 km north east of Sydney, 60 km north east of Newcastle, 45 km north east of Raymond Terrace.

With over 30 km of clean, white sandy beaches, Port Stephens boasts vibrant tourism and fishing industries. Nelson Bay, the major town of the Port Stephens region, is a major tourism centre, particularly for surfing, diving, fishing, and dolphin and whale watching. It draws most of its visitors from the Newcastle and Sydney metropolitan areas.

The eastern boundaries of Nelson Bay lie within the Tomaree National Park. Lemon Tree Passage is a quiet township located on the tip of the Tilligerry Peninsula and offers a variety of gentle, coastal walking trails and boardwalks through Koala territory.

Tilligerry Peninsula: On the south-western shores of Port Stephens lies the Tilligerry Peninsula. The peninsula is a tranquil and untouched place surrounded on three sides by the waters of Port Stephens and the Tilligerry Creek.

This area is also known for its decorative stonework including: the stone centenary gate built in 1931 to commemorate the centenary of the arrival of Lieutenant William Caswell; the stone water arches incorporating the bollards from HMAS Sydney; and the 'Mosaic Temple of the Stork' next to historic Tanilba House - one of the first homes built on the peninsula.

Tomaree Peninsula: the large peninsula which divides Port Stephens from the Pacific Ocean. Tomaree National Park conserves over two thousand hectares of coastal bushland on Tomaree Peninsula, including twenty kilometres of rocky coastline and beaches. One beach, Samurai, is an official nude bathing beach. Separating the beaches are volcanic hills and a jumble of rocky bays. The rhyolite rock here is very hard and the constant wave activity does little more than polish it. In many places, dykes of softer dolerite intrude resulting in the formation of chasms, pillars and caves. The coastal section from Anna Bay to Morna Point is the best place to explore these features.