|
| Marina and shops at
Nelson Bay |
Port Stephens (including Soldiers Point, Salamander
Bay and Shoal Bay)
Large natural harbour north of Newcastle with a number of
holiday towns around its edges.
Port Stephens is a large natural harbour which spans the 24
km between the mouth of the Karuah River to the Pacific
Ocean. The harbour is divided in two by Soldiers Point.
With the exception of the suburban strip of coastline
which stretches from Shoal Bay to Salamander Bay and
Soldiers Point, the shoreline is dotted with small coastal
villages. The area is characterised by small bays, white
sandy beaches and bushland. With gamefishing, beach and rock
fishing, sailing, water cruises, boat charters, bushwalking,
horseriding, surfing, waterskiing, swimming and parasailing
Port Stephens has become a popular holiday spot.
Port Stephens was sighted in May 1770 by Captain Cook who
named it after Philip Stephens, secretary of the Admiralty.
He also noted smoke from Aboriginal campfires, presumably
belonging to the Worimi tribe who occupied the land from
Port Stephens north to Wallis Lake and inland to the
Maitland area.
The first Europeans to take up residence in the area were
five convicts whose boat sunk off the Port in 1790. They
were seen as reincarnated ancestors by the Worimi who aided
them and accepted them into the tribe.
The harbour was entered by the convict ship the
Salamander in 1791 and charted by deputy surveyor-general
Charles Grimes in 1795 who described it as low and sandy. He
noted that the Aborigines were taller and more solid of
build than those in the Sydney area, that their languages
were entirely different and that their canoes and huts were
larger. When Lieutenant-Governor William Paterson made out a
report of the expedition he foresaw no further interest in
the site.
Governor King ordered a survey of the Port by William
Paterson in 1801 and it was personally inspected by Governor
Macquarie in 1812 who found the port 'good, safe, and
capacious' but abandoned his plans as there were too many
shoals and the land was considered too barren to support a
colony.
Timbergetting commenced in the area in 1816. The
exploitation of the area's abundant supply of oysters also
began at this time with their incineration for lime at
Carrington, Stockton and Fame Cove.
The Australian Agricultural Company (AAC) were granted
half a million acres on the northern side of Port Stephens
in 1826 and a base of operations was established at
present-day Carrington with 80 settlers, 720 sheep and some
horse and cattle. Over 200 acres were quickly cleared,
vineyards established and, by 1830, an extensive settlement
was in place with 600 employees, 11 permanent houses,
workshops, military barracks, a smithy, a school, a shearing
shed and slaughter house and other temporary buildings.
Tahlee House was built for the first manager in 1826 (see
entry on Karuah).
The first permanent settler was Captain William Cromarty
who was granted 300 acres of land adjacent the Karuah River.
In the early days passing ships and whalers used the harbour
as a source of wood and water. The approaches to the Port
were dangerous and there were plenty of shipwrecks: 24 by
the time the first lighthouse was built at Point Stephens in
1862. Another was erected at Nelson Head in 1872. Though
they may have stemmed the tide they did not end the wrecks.
After the burning of live oysters for lime was prohibited
in 1868, due to stock depletion, the cultivation of oysters
for consumption got under way, rapidly expanding in the
1920s, particularly at Oyster Cove. As a result the Port is
now the largest single oyster-producing area in Australia.
Lobsters were successfully trapped from the second half of
the 19th century by Greek and then Italian settlers.
The first survey at Nelson Bay was carried out in 1874
and a post office was opened in 1883. Schools were
established at Hannah Bay (now Anna Bay) in 1879 and at both
Salt Ash and Nelson Bay in 1883. The Hunter River Steam
Navigation Company ran picnic excursions into the area from
the late 19th century into the 1940s. In the Second World
War Port Stephens was used as a base by the armed forces who
trained 20 000 American and 2000 Australian servicemen.
Today Port Stephens' economy is based on tourism,
oyster-cultivation, fishing, prawning, dairying,
timbergetting and mixed farming.
Things to see:
![[Top of page]](smlArrow.gif)
Shoal Bay
Shoal Bay was supposedly named by Governor Macquarie because
of its sand shoals. There is a holiday park and you can hire
catamarans, paddleboats, surf skis, sailboards, canoes and
waterscooters on the beach (in season). Waterskiing and
paragliding can be pursued and there is a game-fishing club
which hosts one of the biggest gamefishing competitions in
the southern hemisphere each February. The fishing from the
headlands and beaches is generally rewarding.
At the easternmost edge of Shoal Bay is Tomaree Head (168
m). There is a car park and picnic area at the base of
Tomaree Head. Opposite the car park is the start of a
walking track to the summit where the views are
breathtaking. There are several offshore islands: Boondelbah,
3 km to the north-east covers 9 ha. It is a nesting and
breeding site for little penguins, white-faced storm petrels
and a variety of shearwaters. Just to its north is Cabbage
Tree Island (26 ha) named after the cabbage tree palms in
the two gullies on the island's western side which are the
only known nesting site of Goulds petrel. It is also,
reputedly, the only island with a rainforest ecosystem in
Southern Australia and was the first gazetted flora and
fauna reserve in NSW.
Fort Tomaree was established on the head during World War
II. Two large gun emplacements (sans guns) lie along the
main track. If you wish to see the other relics walk beyond
the initial path, past the hospital, to a secondary track.
The visitors' centre in Nelson Bay has a booklet called "The
Guns of Tomaree" if you wish to know more.
|
| Walk to Zenith Beach,
Tomaree National Park |
Tomaree Head
Tomaree Head lies at the northeastern tip of Tomaree
National Park which covers 896 ha of the southern peninsula
from the headland at the northeastern tip following a strip
south and then west around the coast to Boat Harbour and
Little Kingsley Beach. The beaches are attractive and ideal
for swimming and fishing. The park is full of birdlife and,
from July to February, wildflowers. In all, the bushland
around Port Stephens supports considerable biological
diversity: 230 bird species, 48 mammal species and 650 plant
species.
Fingal Bay
Fingal Bay has a resort, a patrolled beach, a boat ramp and
fishing from both the beach and from Fingal Head. Whales can
sometimes be spotted offshore between September and November
or, less frequently from late May to July. They like to rub
their barnacles off on a reef 50 m offshore.Fingal Bay was
originally known as False Bay as, in the 19th century, it
was sometimes mistaken for the entrance to Port Stephens.
Point Stephens
From the beach Point Stephens looms just to the north. The
site of numerous shipwrecks a lighthouse was installed there
in 1862. It was designed by colonial architect Alexander
Dawson and made of Sydney sandstone. At that time the Point
was joined to the mainland by a narrow spit - 200 m wide, 5
m above sea-level, covered with bushes and also, by the end
of the 19th century, with telegraph poles. A gale washed
most of the spit away in 1891. However, at low tide, the
remaining sandbar can still be crossed. The cylindrical
lighthouse is still operational and the vantage point is
excellent.
|
| Rocky coastline at
Fishermans Bay, Salamander Bay |
The fit can actually walk to Fingal Bay from Box Beach.
Walking tracks continue around the coastline to Samurai and
One Mile Beaches, where there are more paths to explore. The
former is an authorised nude bathing beach and the latter
has a resort complex. The Nelson Bay visitors' centre has a
booklet called "Bushwalks Around Port Stephens".
Stockton Beach
Stockton Beach is an unvegetated mass of mobile sand dunes
which stretch westwards for 34 km, rising up to 30 m above
sea-level. Each year the dunes creep a little further to the
north. Used for horseracing by the early settlers Stockton
Beach is now noted for its fishing, the wreck of the Sygna
and a fenced off Aboriginal midden containing bones and
shells which date back 1240 years. It is also known as the
nesting site for one of Australia's most endangered birds,
the little tern. Hundreds of mutton birds are washed ashore
in September and October of each year after dropping dead
from exhaustion during their lengthy migration flight.
Horizon Safaris offer 6WD tours into the area (tel: 02-4982
6328 or 018-681600). You can also explore the beach by camel
if you so desire with Walkabout Camel Adventures, tel: (02)
4964 8996, or by horse with Sahara Horse Trails, tel:
015-290340.
Soldiers Point
Soldiers Point was originally known as Friendship Point the
name was probably changed owing to a small garrison of
soldiers which was established here in 1826 to stop convict
escapees from Port Macquarie making their way across the
narrow stretch of water to the settlement further south.
Salt Ash
Salt Ash was named after a town in Cornwall. It was first
settled by Europeans in 1816 with the first land grant being
issued in 1837. Attractions in the area include Oakvale Farm
and Fauna World where there is an animal nursery, aviaries,
a farm museum, native fauna, farm animals, pony rides,
merry-go-rounds, a kiosk, barbecue areas and tractor rides.
It is open from 10.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. daily with bottle
feedings and nursing at 11.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m., and duck
feeding at 1.00 p.m., tel: (02) 4982 6222.
Turn right into Lemon Tree Passage Rd which goes
north-east to Tilligerry Peninsula. Containing a
considerable diversity of native flora and birdlife, and one
of the most significant koala colonies in the state, it is
divided off from the rest of the southern peninsula by
Tilligerry Creek which extends from Salt Ash into the waters
of the Port. 'Telegherry', as it was formerly spelled, means
pelican. There are several islands sandwiched between the
banks. Early visitors used to travel by coach to the Salt
Ash wharf at the western end of the creek and then proceed
by boat to the scattered coastal settlements of the Port.
Tanilba House
'Tanilba' is said to mean 'place of white flowers',
presumably a reference to the flannel flowers which formerly
thrived in the area. The centrepiece of this small township
is Tanilba House: a beautiful and elegant home which is one
of Australia's oldest historical buildings.
Tanilba House was built for Lieutenant Caswell, a naval
officer. He and his family emigrated in 1828. Caswell
established farm sites at Seaham (23 km north) and Salt Ash
and opted to build his homestead on the 50 acres he received
at Tanilba. Utilising convict labour he started with a slab
hut in 1829, expanding to a cottage in 1831, and laid the
foundations of Tanilba House in 1837, built of quartz
porphyry stone which was quarried nearby. The mortar came
from lime produced by burning oysters. Vineyards, gardens
and a dairy were established.
The growing family were on good terms with the local
Aborigines whose children played with their own. However,
there numbers soon diminished as they did throughout the
colony. Emily Caswell wrote in 1841:
When we first came here all around we saw nothing but the
blacks' fires and canoes, but now only a dozen are left of
our tribes...they bring fish and oysters for flour...our
blacks are harmless inoffensive people...their children are
stout and spend half their day in the sea...each tribe had
land allotted...they used to fight among themselves very
often and had 'corroborys' - jumping up and down; and
mourning by smearing themselves with white clay, saying
[enigmatically] "Die - jump up white man".
The Caswells lived at Tanilba for fifteen years. The
family house was sold in 1886 and stood derelict until 1897.
Rather than being a museum piece Tanilba House, for all of
its elegance, has a very comfortable, casual, rustic and
lived-in feel to it. Indeed it is still lived in - by Helen
Taylor who has a homely range of dogs, doves and
domesticated fowl. For a small entry fee she will give you a
brief tour of the house, a freshly brewed cup of coffee and,
for an additional fee, a devonshire tea.
The views out across the front lawn and the bay are
excellent. Offshore lies Snapper Island, a nature reserve
dominated by a huge Morton Bay fig. The exterior facade is
very attractive. The rooms are large with high ceilings and
walls a half-metre thick - to cool the house in summer and
retain heat in winter. There is a small gaol and an exterior
kitchen: reminders of the days of convicts and servants. The
house has numerous and genuinely interesting historic
displays. There are letters written by the Caswells,
dressmaker's dummies adorned with delicate dresses and
underwear from the late nineteenth century, old newspapers
and crockery, antique furnishings and presses, a remarkable
book collection with items dating back to the 17th century,
and other memorabilia. The house is open for inspections
Wednesdays, weekends, and every day during school and public
holidays, tel: (02) 4982 4866.
Tilligerry Habitat
Also in town is Tilligerry Habitat, a volunteer and
charitable organisation formed in 1993 to try and reverse
the severe degradation of the ecology, and hence the koala
habitat, caused by sand mining. An ongoing and, to date,
highly fruitful rehabilitation endeavour ensued. They offer
guided interpretive walks which take in the area's ecology,
koala habitats, heritage (Aboriginal and European), bush
tucker and birds and come highly recommended. They have a
pamphlet outlining the 1.7-km Dundulla Track down at the
Tanilba waterfront which leads through bushland identifying
various plants and their usages within Worimi culture.
Tilligerry Habitat also have arts and crafts displays and
sales, and books on the area's ecology and history. The shop
is open from 10.00 a.m. - 4.00 p.m. daily and is located at
the Tilligerry Plaza in President Wilson Walk. tel: (02)
4984 5677.
|
| Collecting worms on the
beach at Salamander Bay |
Lemon Tree Passage
Lemon Tree Passage was originally called Kooindah (meaning
'clear water'). It is a leafy, tranquil and attractive
retirement centre only subdivided in 1962 (there were just
30 residents in 1931). There are several theories concerning
the origins of the town's name. It is said that lemon trees
were mysteriously found growing on the point by early
settlers (possibly washed ashore from other settlements).
Another is that they were in fact a native plant called
cheesebush which is similar in appearance. A third concerns
a lemon tree orchard grown by a resident.
A particularly enjoyable thing to do is inspect the
native flora reserve in Helen Ave. Another two walks - the
Mangrove Board Walk and the Lilli Pilli Walk - are located
at the tip of the peninsula in Koala Park. Lemon Tree Coffee
and Crafts provide tourist information from 9.00 a.m. - 5.00
p.m. daily, tel: (02) 4984 5433. There is a marina with
boats for hire and a holiday resort.
Tours and Tickets
There are a number of ways to get around Port Stephens: the
Bay Explorer Ticket facilitates exploration on the local bus
service, there is a network of cycleways, and a regular
ferry service runs across to Tea Gardens on the northern
shore. Horizon Safaris offer 6WD excursions around the area,
tel: (02) 4982 6328, as do Sand Safaris Active Adventure
Tours (tel: 02 4965 0215 or info@sandsafaris.com.au).
Larkwood Tours provide mini-bus treks about Port Stephens,
tel: (02) 4982 4656 or 0417-254 791. The visitors' centre
also has an access guide for those with mobility
restrictions.
Broadwalk
Business Brokers
Broadwalk Business
Brokers specialise in General Businesses for Sale, Caravan Parks for
Sale, Motels for Sale, Management Rights & Resorts for Sale, Farms for
Sale, Hotels for sale,Commercial & Industrial Properties for Sale.
Phone:
1300 136 559
Email:
enquiries@broadwalkbusinessbrokers.com.au
AUSTRALIAN BUSINESSES FOR SALE
COFFS HARBOUR BUSINESS BROKERS
BROADWALK BUSINESS BROKERS
GOLD COAST BUSINESSES FOR SALE
BRISBANE BUSINESSES FOR SALE
SYDNEY BUSINESSES FOR SALE
CARAVAN PARKS FOR SALE
BUSINESSES FOR SALE
MOTELS
FOR SALE
HOTELS
FOR SALE
Disclaimer
We advise prospective purchasers that we take no
responsibility for the accuracy of any information in the business
provided by vendors or their professional advisers and that they should
make their own enquiries as to the accuracy of this information,
including obtaining independent legal and/or accounting advice
Port Stephens
