Sydney 2010: Port Stephens Road Trip

I think when one thinks of taking road trips out from Sydney, the typical destinations that come to mind are the Blue Mountains and Hunter Valley. We were thinking of Hunter Valley until DDad suggested heading out to Port Stephens. The promise of beaches and dolphins won us over!

Port Stephens is about 2-2.5 hours drive from Sydney and is not a town per se, but is generally taken to refer to the region around and beyond the waterway known as Port Stephens, which is ringed by lovely bays boasting gorgeous beaches. On this trip we stayed at Nelson Bay, one of the bigger towns in the area. It is also where many of the cruise boat operators are located so it was a convenient location since our intention was to catch a dolphin cruise while we were there.

We took this road trip with my in-laws and Jon, so we rented a people mover so that all 6 of us could travel up together. The new carseat and new vehicle didn't faze Noey. In fact, he was more than happy to be riding in a van. The fact that it was much higher also gave him a better view which he was mighty pleased about. When he was awake, that is. Since it was such a long ride, he obligingly conked off on-route.

Needing to sleep and reaching for Mummy's elbow...

The group shot that DD insisted we all take upon arrival.

Checking out the marina with Ah Kong. There were also a couple of inflated blow-up whales floating in the water which he was quite taken with.

We arrived in time for lunch and there was only one thing on our minds -- fish & chips!

Checking out the local fishermen's cooperative. Lots of yummy fresh prawns, oysters, and loads of fresh fish...

Fish & Chips and a Seafood platter from the restaurant next door. Plenty for everyone, especially with the tray of oysters and bag of boiled prawns on ice that we got as well. (I snuck a couple of oysters and they were delicious!)

Noey terribly pleased to spear a prawn shell.

In truth, he really preferred the chips! His first (of many) on this trip. Thanks for tomato sauce, he even managed to finish practically a whole piece of fried fish as well himself. Mummy here was terribly pleased and Papa immediately christened the ketchup "magic sauce"!

Unfortunately the heavens opened up just as we were finishing lunch and put paid to any outdoor activities we were thinking of doing for the day. So we checked in, took a drive around to see the bays, and then did the only thing you can do in such weather -- hit the nearest mall. In this case, it was Salamander Bay Shopping Centre where DDad and Aunty Jud kindly took Noey off our hands so we were free to shop up a storm (DD more than me!) at Target, and also gather supplies for the next few days. I thought it was a day well spent.

Wet wet wet. The nearest we got to a beach was through the windows of our van!

Zzzzz-ing away again! I've lost count of the number of shots we have of him sleeping in the car.

Just a short note on our accommodation: We got a 3-bedroom apartment at Mantra Aqua which Aunty Jud managed to book at some really good rate such that we paid just over A$200 per night for the whole apartment. We didn't use the facilities, but the apartment itself was nice, and happily, looked pretty much like the pics on their website. It was a good choice with plenty of space for all of us. My first choice would have been a beach front property though by Shoal Bay Resort & Spa was not available. Maybe next time!

Noey hiding? Or was it reading a leaflet in his own creative position? Who knows? All I know was that he was very at home in the apartment!

Having breakfast with Ah Kong. We packed along his highchair from Ddad's place and I was mighty glad we did that! And no, I didn't make him finish that massive bowl of yoghurt...