There is always something on our bucket list we manage to tick off during the school holidays and we managed to do just this. We have wanted to visit Port Stephens and take a 4WD tour to Tin City (you may know Tin City from the 1st Mad Max Movie) and then take on the massive sand dunes – sandboarding style. So what made us decide to do this activity this school holidays? Funnily enough it was through an email from the coupon companies. I had a look at the sandboarding deal and went to their website. This is where I discovered their cool zebra designed 4WDs and the family package tour.
I shot off a quick email that night asking if it would be suitable for our 5 year old and whether there were vacancies on the next day’s tour. Loryn at 4WD Tours R Us (http://www.4wdtoursrus.com) replied quickly advising us her Partner Ian (the Company owner) was taking the tour and he was fantastic with the kids. So a phone call later and we had booked and paid for the tour.
The next morning we were up and packed for the drive ahead. Our tour was not until the afternoon but that did not stop us from heading up early to have lunch and a walk around. We use to camp at the Big 4 Soldiers Point and we were always fans of the Soldiers Point Bowling Club for meals. We treated ourselves to lunch there. The food is always delicious and fresh. Be warned, the portion sizes are enormous and the price is not. Steak Sandwich with the works for $13, Open Turkish with Smoked Salmon and salad, $12 and the kids meals were Spag Bol $7 and Steak and Chips $8.
There is a small playground complete with play equipment and a large grass area for the kids to wear off some energy whilst they wait for their lunch.
After filling up, we headed down to the foreshore of Nelson Bay. The Marina was filled with sail boats and the Whale Watching/Dolphin Cruising was loaded with passengers about to go out.
Another playground play and back to the car to head to Anna Bay for our Adventure.
Meeting up with Loryn and Ian, they knew straight away who we were. This is great customer service. We had 15 minutes until the tour was about to leave and they suggested we have a short walk and see if we could spot the Camels coming along the beach. Yes, Port Stephens offers Camel rides.
We returned to the 4WD’s, boarded and were on our way along Birubi Beach stopping at the shipwreck. After that big storm we just had, it managed to move a lot of the sand which was covering the wreck. The remnants are more prominent now. Silly me managed to get my pants wet from the knees down from a tall wave whilst I was trying to take a photo. The kids found this very funny.
Off to Tin City, its 10kms up the beach from where we started our tour. Tin City is located on Aboriginal land. Originally built by the American forces during WWII, once abandoned the squatters moved in. Now each house is leased out by the Aboriginal land owners and there are only a couple of permanent residents, the rest are holiday makers. Each house is run by solar energy. What we found interesting was that the large pools of water were actually natural spring water. Dig in this area and you will discover fresh water to drink. The sand purifies the water acting as a filter.
We were off again, this time heading back towards where we were about to take on the largest sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere.
But before we headed into the sand dunes, we were lucky enough to stop and search for pipis. Ian gave us great advice on how to find them quickly. They were everywhere. If you are thinking how delicious for dinner, unfortunately they are not allowed to be removed off this beach. It’s a protected area.
SAND DUNE HEAVEN… Drop the bags and grab the boards. Walk up the dune and slide on down. This was so much fun. Our kids were in their element and became more and more game each and every time they went down. It was the ultimate adventure and a great leg workout.
We were there till 4.30pm when it was the last shuttle back. We managed to score a seat on the smaller zebra 4WD and it was an adventure on its own. Going over the Sand Dunes, we were able to experience a more adventurous 4WD experience. The kids loved it.
Returning to the car, we were not quite ready to head home. I recalled a lookout which we had seen on our way to Anna Bay. We drove back and were able to watch the sun set. It was a great day out and our kids are super keen to return to do sand boarding again. Next School Holidays it’s on the list and we will be going with 4WD tours R Us.