quad-biking on the dunes or swimming with dolphins? There’s more to Sydney than the breathtaking scenery and retail therapy, writes Faridul Anwar Farinordin
SHORTLY after landing at Sydney International Airport, we are told that it’s time for quad-biking.
Most of us are still sluggish from the overnight flight so the thought of operating heavy machinery with revved up engines across sand dunes and coastal wilderness has either sent an exciting buzz or frightful thoughts for our entourage that comprises journalists, AirAsia X officials, celebrity Tasha Shilla and her mum Rosnah Suratman.
Our host, the ever-accommodating Duglass Hocking, surely knows how to sweeten the deal. A selection of delectable pastries (the divine creme brulee pastry is literally to die for) from a famous bakery in Sydney’s Surrey Hills surely gets the adrenaline juices going. Some cups of organic latte later, we are ready for our mission.
The journey to Port Stephens, 16km northeast of Sydney, takes roughly 2½ hours. One of Australia’s reputed marine playground, it is also home to Worimi Conservation Lands, which boasts scenic and enormous dunes (from 12 metres to 30.5 metres high) with wondrous cultural significance.
SPECTACULAR SAND DUNES
Worimi Conservation Lands is a cluster of aborigine-owned parks co-managed by the Worimi Traditional Owners and the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Formed more than 100,000 years ago, it comprises a 32km-long coastline (including Stockton Beach), dunes and forest that are made even more special with many aboriginal ancient relics such as middens, campsites and burial sites.
“The dunes are constantly moving and the landscape is always changing, so always follow your group leader during the quad-biking ride so as not to get lost,” we were reminded prior to the adventure.
On arrival, it instantly takes our breath away with its sheer vastness and unspoilt natural wonders.
Lead tour guide Andrew Smith from Sand Dune Adventures (www.sandduneadventures.com.au) gives a quick safety demonstration on the all-terrain vehicle: “Use the brakes softly. If you’re riding along and hit the brakes too hard, you’ll go whoaaaahhh (doing a funny impression of flying out of the seat. Please see the accompanying video)!”
A few of us are given the option to ride with the guides, one of whom is the ever-smiling Worimi native, John.
A helmet and a bright orange vest complete the whole hot biker look, and soon we are ready to explore a different kind of Australian “wilderness”, dubbed “the largest moving coastal sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere.”
It doesn’t take long before the journey gets immensely exciting. The breath-taking views, with 360 degrees of nature’s wonder as we stand atop a vantage point high on the dunes, is simply one of the highlights of the entire trip. The view of the sea, sand and shrubberies form a picture-perfect postcard.
Also included in the two-hour sand dune activity is sandboarding. It seems scary at first, what with the steep slopes of some of the largest dunes in the area. But if Tasha Shilla and her mother could do it with calm and confidence, so could I. Safety tip: Push your hand down into the powdery sand to control your speed.
In case you’re wondering, I make it to the bottom of the dunes following a loud, high-pitched scream that reverberates through the land.
SEA ADVENTURES
Our accommodation for the first night is at Ramada Resort Shoal Bay, comprising beachfront rooms overlooking the white sand shores and unspoilt national parklands. This small, tranquil and charming coastal suburb, known for its stunning natural beauty, is named after the numerous sand shoals which are scattered around the area.
Interestingly, Port Stephens is home to two of Australia’s most extraordinary marine playgrounds, Great Lakes Marine Park and Tomaree National Park. Popular among local tourists during summer, it offers many water-based activities including fishing trips, scenic tours, dolphin watching cruises, whale watching cruises and water sports.
Imagine our excitement when parasailing is listed as the first activity the following morning.
Organised by Port Stephens Watersports (www.pswatersports.com.au), the activity sends visitors soaring 150m high above the water as the parachute is winched into the air from the speed boat. You wouldn’t get wet, as take off and landing are from the boat.
As I glide gleefully high above the water of Shoal Bay that morning, an amazing bird’s eye view of Port Stephens and its clear blue waters take my breath away. We were earlier told that we could spot bottlenose dolphins from this vantage point, so that surely adds to the excitement.
Unfortunately, there is no dolphin that morning — even though I am strapped to the sail and hoisted into the air twice (a member of the entourage is scared of heights, so I happily take his place). Luckily, dolphin-watching is next in the programme.
Departing from Nelson Bay with Tamboi Queen Cruises (www.tamboiqueencruises.com), our vessel is a 19.8m MV Surprise with two-level viewing decks and equipped with boom net rides to allow visitors to get close to the mammals.
The trip, which takes close to two hours to complete, is worth every minute — the anticipation of seeing the dolphins builds to a satisfying finish the moment we spot them swimming playfully around the boat. There are screams of delight by the passengers, some of whom quickly get into their swimsuits and jump into the net rides for a much closer encounter.
“Port Stephens is reputed as one of the best places in the world to see dolphins in the wild, with a population of over 160 bottlenose dolphins living in the port,” says Tamboi Queen Cruises manager, Sharon Aldrich, whose Twitter account (@sharon_aldrich) allows her followers to join her at sea with these majestic creatures.
From May to mid-November, visitors also have the opportunity to witness the annual migration of over 12,000 whales — mostly Humpbacks, along the coastal region to get to the warm waters of the Great Barrier Reef where they mate and calve.
On our way back to Sydney, we make a stop at Tailor Made Fish Farms (www.tailormadefishfarms.com.au), a leading barramundi farm in New South Wales. The guided tour takes us through the fish production sheds and nursery to see “barra babies” and the giant “Big Barry” that weighs over 22kg and almost 1m in length!
Its guide Graeme Rolston, who has over 15 years of experience in the industry, also takes us on a walk through the hydroponic vegetable beds to see the lush green and red lettuces, spinach, basil and parsley that are produced from the barramundi waste water — which actually tastes good.
Some members of the entourage feel that our trip would not be complete without koalas and kangaroos, so it is only fair that we make a stop (not in the original itinerary) at Oakvale Farm and Fauna World, in Salt Ash some 30km away from Shoal Bay. Opened in 1979, the facility feels more like an animal farm than a zoo as it allows visitors to enjoy a hands-on experience with Australian native and domestic farm animals that also include koalas, kangaroos, wombats, emus, dingoes and ostriches (www.oakvalefarm.com.au).
BIKER COOL IN BONDI
We spend the night at the heritage-listed art deco building of The Grace Hotel (www.gracehotel.com.au) in the heart of Sydney. Built in 1930, the majestic hotel is conveniently located and is only a short walk away to the attractions of Darling Harbour, Cockle Bay and King Street Wharf.
The next day, after obligatory retail therapy at Sydney’s largest outlet centre the Birkenhead Point Outlet Centre Drummoyne in the morning, we are surprised to find a group of leather-clad, scruffy-looking bikers greeting us at the beachfront promenade of Sydney’s popular Bondi Beach.
This is actually the “surprise” element of the trip — to be specific, the rides on attention-grabbing trikes and Harley Davidson cruisers. This is made possible with Troll Tours (www.trolltours.com.au), a motorbike tour company that offers visitors a more fascinating — and not to mention ultra-glamorous — way of exploring Sydney and its surroundings.
I pick the 2006 Harley Electra Glide with Greg Nomchong, clad in fetching black leather jacket adorned by interesting pins and insignias. His face is covered with a silver-painted Skeletor mask (the villain in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe) throughout the journey, which adds to a wonderful sense of mystery and excitement.
But there’s nothing mysterious about our travelling route, other than being fun. The one-hour ride takes us to the affluent harbour-side of Point Piper and finished at The Gap, an ocean cliff on the south head peninsula in eastern Sydney. The Gap looks over the Tasman Sea and offers breath-taking view, which unfortunately is ill-famed for being a suicide spot.
VIP Water Taxis (www.vipwatertaxis.com.au) later takes us in style from Watsons Bay Wharf to Circular Quay for a scheduled backstage tour of the Sydney Opera House. Our journey continues on board of the funky “water limos”, with the Abba’s popular song Dancing Queen blasting on the speakers, as we head to King Street Wharf with the sun gloriously setting in the horizon.
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