When the going gets tough, the tough get going…off on a holiday to Nelson Bay.

Okay this isn’t a regular occurrence and I’m normally all in for daily hustle but every now and again escaping the nine-to-five is necessary. As Sydneysiders, we are blessed with some of the most beautiful beaches and bodies of water which make it a little easier to run away and reset our minds and bodies whenever life or as in this instance, the long weekend allows.

A few months ago we decided to go away for a couple of days to Nelson Bay in Port Stephens. As nature and adventure lovers, we packed our weekend with hiking, sand boarding and dinner dates by the beach among other things. For the full low down on what we did while there, keep on reading!

Stay in Newcastle: Let’s begin with the accommodation. Staying in Newcastle wasn’t our first choice. Rather it was something we opted for since pretty much every inch of land on Nelson Bay was already booked weeks in advance. But our stay in Newcastle was a pleasant surprise. We chose a quaint water facing hotel that was also quite conveniently located. If you choose to stay in Newcastle, the biggest draw is simply strolling by the beach at night time, getting a bite to eat and unwinding from the day’s adventure.

Visit Stockton Sand Dunes: When you hop out of the car and catch your first full glimpse of the Stockton sand dunes, it’s quite surreal. The vast expansive dunes and the clear blue skies looked like something out of a movie and it was hard not to let my imagination wander. We took a bus further into the dunes and decided to spend the rest of our afternoon sand boarding! If this isn’t something you’ve tried before, I recommend you give it a go. You can choose where you want to board from depending on your comfort level and the views from the top of the dunes as you slide down are truly something else. After our sand boarding adventure, we decided to take walk along the beach and spy on merry little party of camels riding alongside us.

Tomaree Head Summit Walk: If you’ve read our earlier travel posts, you may have guessed that we love a hike or two! On this visit, we decided to commit ourselves to the Tomaree Head Summit Walk and the climb to the top was definitely worth it. The weather was perfect and the scenery even more so!

Dolphin Watching: On the last stretch of our trip, we took some time out for our animal friends. The dolphin watching cruise was something I was a little skeptical of and I didn’t really anticipate seeing any dolphins let alone an entire group hopping around out little cruise ship! One of the most memorable moments was when we sat clinging to the edge of the ship just staring down into the water and out of nowhere a dolphin decided to pop up and say hello!

Our little getaway was just the breather we needed from our usual lifestyle and we came back feeling completely refreshed! Have you tried any of these activities yourself?