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An independent day of four wheel driving at Stockton Beach is a must do experience.
Test your skills on this massive expanse of dunes, the largest moving dunes in the Southern Hemisphere. Or simply enjoy a leisurely beach drive.
About the dunes
Just a short drive drive from Port Stephens area and north of Newscastle. Part of the Worimi Conservation Lands, the dunes cover some 4,200 hectares.
This 32 km stretch of land starts at Gan Gan road in Anna Bay to Lavis Lane in Wiliamstown or in reverse. Note that part of the beach is closed when high tide prevents drivers from going any further. You’ll have to cross the dunes.
Permit required
You’ll need a permit before heading out for the day.
A 3 day permit will cost you $33 or you can purchase an annual permit for $88.
There are a few places you buy these. We purchased ours from the BP service station in Anna Bay or there is the Metro Service Station in Williamstown.
Beach access
Driving the full distance from Anna Bay entrance to Williamstown is around 22 km. As mentioned, high tide will restricts you in one part so if you plan to do it all check the tide times.
Fishing appears to be a popular past time here. Swimming on the other hand wasn’t. We never saw anyone in the water as it was very rough on this particular day. I’m guessing it’s like this on most days and there is no surf patrol.
Dune driving
The dunes here encompass a large area with forest land backing up parts of it up. Be sure to stay off the grasslands which is not allowed.
For those with experience and recovery gear you can take on some very impressive high dunes, some at 60 degree slopes and as high as 40 metres.
If this is not on the cards you can still enjoy cruising across the sand for miles. It’s a whole lot of fun.
Four wheel drive tag along tours.
Originally we were going by ourselves and planning on doing a four wheel drive tour. Not having much experience either it seemed like the proper solution. We ended up meeting friends and had recovery gear so cancelled that idea.
Going on a tag along tour may suits your needs. This tour will not only give you peace of mind but also valuable experience on tackling the dunes. You can book here.
Other fun activities.
Stockton dunes and beach attract many other activities.
From quad bike tours to sand boarding and camel rides to horse rides, there is plenty of cool things to do here.
Quad bike tours – click here.
Sand boarding – click here.
