The Port Stephens Sand Dunes in the Worimi Conservation Lands are incredible. It’s like experiencing a little piece of the Sahara Desert just a few hours north of Sydney. They are the largest moving sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere and some are as high as 40m! You can’t fail to be impressed, we’ve visited them many times and are still in awe of the landscape.
There are so many ways to experience the dunes from wandering through them on foot to sand boarding and quad biking. You can take or tour or visit independently, and in this guide we’ll tell you how to do both.
Here’s everything you need to know for the perfect trip to the sand dunes at Port Stephens.
Tips for Stockton Sand Dunes
Here’s a few things you will want to know before you go to the sand dunes in Port Stephens:
The names can get confusing, but essentially Stockton Sand Dunes, Port Stephens Sand Dunes, Anna Bay Sand Dunes and the Worrimi Conservation Lands are all minor variations of the same place! So don’t be confused if you can’t work out why everyone is using a different name for the same place.
Set your sat nav for Birubi Point Surf Life Saving Club. This is the main entry point for the dunes and as it’s at the far end of the beach (and it’s a looooong beach), it’s really easy to underestimate how far away the dunes are from Newcastle and Sydney.
Give yourself at least two hours to appreciate this place. Getting to the main dunes takes about 15-20 minutes if you are walking at a pace (and that’s quite tiring), and it’s not a place you want to rush.
Birubi Point Surf Life Saving Club has free parking, but it fills up pretty quickly. We recommend avoiding the midday sun, not only to miss the worst of the heat, but also the busiest time for parking and crowds.
You don’t have to do a tour, but the tours will save you from hiking up those huge sand dunes (which are a good workout). Check whether they pick up from Anna Bay or Sydney, as they vary in what they offer.
Port Stephens Sand Dunes Tours
There are quite a few tours that operate, and the majority include the sand dunes with another attraction in the area. We recommend going with Get Your Guide as they are reliable, come with very good ratings and are good value.
At the time of writing, the most basic tour offers unlimited sandboarding and 4WD tour for just $35! You can find out more by clicking here. This trip picks up from James Paterson Street in Anna Bay, so you need to find your own way to the Port Stephens area.
If you’re looking for a day trip from Sydney, then you can take the tour that includes dolphin watching, sandboarding and a 4WD drive through the sand dunes (click here to find out more).
However, if you’re looking to do it independently, then check out the following seven fun things you can do without a tour.
7 fun things to do at the Stockton Sand Dunes
Here are 7 fun things to do in the Stockton Sand Dunes:
1. Watch a sunset
It took us four trips to the sand dunes before we finally stayed around to watch a sunset, and it immediately became our favourite thing to do here!
The east coast of Australia is all about the sunrises so to find a spot as beautiful as the Stockton Sand Dunes that is actually best viewed at sunset is a real treat.
Climbing up one of the many dunes and watching the sun slowly sink behind the desert landscape is a truly memorable experience.
Virtually no one sticks around for sunset so you’ll likely have the views all to yourself. We visited on a full moon and as we wandered back in the twilight it all felt pretty magical.
If you love star gazing the dunes would also be an incredible place for it, it’s on our list but not something we’ve personally experienced yet.
Whatever season you come in, if you are on the dunes after sun down, they get pretty cold so bring a few layers with you.
2. Go sand boarding!
This is the most popular activity at the dunes and though if you have your own board you could probably just rock up, almost everyone visits on a tour.
There are a variety of dunes you can board down working up to a really quite steep 40m beast!
If you’re on a tour the boards you are given are specially made for the dunes and you can choose to sit or stand, you’ll be given tips on how to do it if this is your first time.
You’re driven into the dunes on a 4WD which is a bit of an adventure in itself. You can then sand board for as long as you have the energy to keep running back up the dunes again!
Don’t forget water and snacks as most companies don’t provide them.
3. Hike through the dunes
We always go for a walk through the dunes and it never gets old. From the car park at Birubi Beach it takes about 20 minutes to walk up and into the best of the dunes.
The easiest way to do it is to walk along the 4WD track and then cross over into the dunes and climb the first one you come to.
Then you can explore to your hearts content. It’s not as easy to walk on the dunes as you might expect with all the soft sand, it gets much easier after a little rain when the sand is compact.
We’d recommend allowing at least an hour and a half to get a good feel for the dunes on foot.
4. Drive on the beach!
If you have your own 4WD you can drive for up to 22km along the beach which is pretty staggering!
There is a knack to it though and things such as partially deflating your tyres are a must so you don’t get bogged down in the soft sand. There’s advice on how to drive on soft sand in the article we’ve linked below if you’re new to it.
All you’ll need is a permit which costs $33 for three days, all the information you need on where to buy the permit and how to display it are here.
If you’d prefer to go with an experienced guide there are lots of options, including quad bikes which are a lot of fun.
5. Look for whales from Birubi Lookout
If you’re visiting between May and October you can’t miss the Birubi Lookout! The Humpbacks make their annual migration at this time of year and if you’re lucky you might spot one from the viewpoint.
Even if you’re not visiting during whale season the lookout provides an incredible view of the beach, and of the beginning of the sand dunes too.
6. Say hi to the camels
Did you know there are more wild camels in Australia than any other country in the world?! We didn’t either, until we moved here and now we’ve seen several in the wild.
The ones at Port Stephens are not roaming free, but it’s still a pretty incredible sight to see, as they make their way along the beach.
We always stop for a look as it just seems like such a crazy sight, a camel train on a beach just a few hours from Sydney!
You can go for a camel ride, but after finding out a lot about the ethics of elephant riding in recent years we’re not sure that it is much better to ride a camel so it’s something we now steer clear of.
7. Go for a dip
After all the excitement of exploring the dunes you can cool off at Birubi Beach. It’s a gorgeous place to swim looking back at the huge beach and dunes, it can be wavy though so always check conditions before you go in, and swim between the flags. The beach is patrolled during the busiest time of year, 26 September to late May.
Essential information about visiting the Stockton Sand Dunes
Facilities
The good news is there are toilets, changing rooms and showers at the dunes (beside the car park). They have always been pretty clean on our visits but we have never been on a really busy day!
There is also a cafe which has lovely views over the beach, as well as picnic tables if you’d rather BYO.
Parking
The best place to park is at the Birubi Point Surf Life Savers Club as it’s free and only a stroll away from the dunes! The bad part is that this place doesn’t have a lot of spots and fills up very quickly. You’ll be able to find more spaces, but you may have to go a bit further down the road.
Getting there from Sydney
The Port Stephens Sand Dunes are a 200km drive north of Sydney and it takes about 2.5 hours if you have no traffic.
It is possible to get here by public transport, but it’s a loooong journey! First, get the train from Sydney to Newcastle (2 hours 35). Then hop on the 130 bus (one hour) to Fingal Bay. This will drop you within 1km of the dunes!
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