Thanks to the ever changing border situation, we changed our travel dates for this trip no less than five times; every time I did so, the owner of our Nelson Bay accommodation texted me with a friendly message to say “hang in there – it will be worth the wait!”  She was so right. This area is lovely, and there is more than enough to do here than we have time for this time around.

Top of the list was the climb to the summit of Mt Tomaree, so when the day dawned fine with no sign of impending rain or storms, it was time to get going.  The climb is short but quite steep – and popular with sightseers and local athletes alike.

After breakfast on the balcony, we set off along the Nelson Bay and Shoal Bay foreshores. Mt Tomaree was hard to miss, and we could see our goal, 161 metres above us.  A well made brick path took us quickly up through forested slopes, with only glimpses of the scenery to come.  We reached a junction after about 500 metres, with a “Summit” sign pointing either straight up a set of metal stairs, or along a continuation of the paved path, to the historic gun emplacements.

Newcastle and Williamtown, as the major coal port, steel manufacturing centre, and military air base, were strategic assets that had to be defended in World War 2; letting the Japanese into the harbour at Port Stephens would have been something of a problem. Of course, the Japanese had bigger fish to fry, and in 1943 the 6 inch guns were dismantled.  They had been manned by WWI veterans, and we agreed it probably wasn’t the toughest assignment – though hauling the building materials up the mountain would have taken considerable effort.

Back to the junction and up the first flight of steps, we were soon huffing and puffing. From here the trail was almost all steps or metal walkways as it traversed some rugged rocky outcrops. As we rounded the southern headland, we emerged from the trees and the stunning views opened up in front of us.

As we reached the top, we noticed what looked like a fluffy toy kookaburra, perching on the railing and gazing out at the islands and water. He didn’t move an inch, and we truly believed he was stuffed, until he waggled his tail feathers.  He remained unperturbed as we took his photo and admired the same view that he was looking at. We think he was young, as some of his feathers were a bit ragged.  After a few minutes he flew off into a nearby tree, obviously quite used to visitors.

From the summit, there are lookouts over the ocean and islands, and the harbour entrance that the guns were defending; then you climb a little higher to the old radar station, and drink in the view of Nelson Bay and Shoal Bay to the right, and Zenith Beach, Wreck Beach and Fingal Bay, to the left.  Azure blue and turquoise water, clean white sand, gentle waves lapping almost deserted shores … perfect.  We could see the lighthouse on the island at the end of Fingal Spit, and added that as a potential walking destination.  And a boat cruise was looking increasingly tempting … so much to do, so little time!

The descent was far easier than the climb, and before long we were back at base camp, so to speak.  We recovered back at home, before another foray to explore Nelson Bay itself.  We checked out the marina and breakwater, before the afternoon heat drove us back to air conditioned comfort. Ian made a dash for icecreams – you can’t while away time on your balcony watching boats come and go, without a classic Magnum.

I think we may be back to this beautiful corner of the world one day.