The cool sea breeze, the trail of my footsteps in the sand, vast blue sky and sound of waves crashing on the shore just make me feel so connected with the universe and the planet. For a few moments, I feel like I have escaped the concrete jungle of the city and the crowds.
When I first arrived Fingal Bay, its calm demeanour and soft golden sand took my breath away! Not surprisingly, it comes to number 80 on Australian Traveler’s “100 amazing places you haven’t been to” Nominated by Stephen Howard. This beach was also included in Brad Farmer’s 2012 book on the “Top 101 beaches of Australia” (amongst 10,685 beaches)
I really love being in Sydney for its many natural attractions. Within just a few hours’ drive, one can reach white sandy beaches, rainforests, rugged coastline, nature trails, sand dunes, waterfalls and much more.
Read more on the afternoon walk I took by the Fingal Bay Beach in Port Stephens which easily extended to late evening, owing to the natural beauty and tranquillity I found there.
Fingal Bay Beach walk:
What looked like just a long semi-circular stretch of beach ended up in amazing us with something we had never seen before! What particularly attracted us to this beach was that it was like our very own secret beach, a mere 2-3 hour drive from Sydney. Whilst its neighbour Nelson’s Bay is the more famous star attraction of Port Stephens, Fingal Bay looked every bit “off the beaten track” for us, and we loved it.
Fingal Bay, located in the Tomaree National Park is where the infamous Fingal Spit, a sand spit about 900 m long is located. As we reached the northern end of the 2 km long Fingal Bay beach, we read a warning to avoid crossing the spit, as it has taken many lives in the past.
We made sure to stop right there, but the spit was not to be seen. After inquiring with few locals got to know that it had been washed off. But the view from there was one we would never forget. We were on a thin sandy beach with waves on both sides(rather all sides).
How Fingal bay beach got famous?
For all those who are ardent followers of Tourism Australia’s advertisements over the years, you must have seen the end of the 2006 advertisement, “So where the bloody hell are you?” Well, for all those that thought that the location featured was Queensland, you’re wrong. Fingal Spit was the location. Watch the video below:
I sat at the edge of the Fingal beach and watched this breathtaking sight.
You can bring your own little picnic basket to enjoy Fingal Bay beach in all its glory. For all those who want to eat out, it also has a new little cafe and restaurant next to the surf lifesaving club, overlooking that pretty beach.
How to reach:
From Sydney: 220 kilometres, 2.5 hours drive north from Sydney via the M1 Motorway (formerly the F3 Freeway).
Coach: A coach service departs Eddy Ave, Central Station Sydney daily at 2.00 pm for Port Stephens. This departs Port Stephens for Sydney at 9.00 am daily. Look up the timetable for Port Stephens Coaches.
I would love to know if you have visited Fingal Bay and what were your experiences? I am always on a lookout for new and interesting places across the world which catch my fancy, to visit/photograph or write about. Please feel free to share your travel memories with me by commenting below.
