Things to Do in Port Stephens with Kids
Looking for things to do in Port Stephens with kids? You’re in the right place.
I’ve lived locally for years, and over the past 20 years our four kids have tried and tested Port Stephens from toddlerhood through to the teenage years. Some activities have been repeated until we lost count, others were spectacular one-offs, and a few have definitely tested the family budget!
So this isn’t simply a list of things I’ve found while researching Port Stephens. It’s a collection of family activities we’ve experienced over many years, along with some newer experiences that have appeared since our kids were little.
I’ve divided the guide by age because what works brilliantly for a four-year-old isn’t necessarily going to impress a 16-year-old. And if you’ve got teenagers, you’ll find plenty here that goes well beyond beaches and playgrounds.
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Quick picks: what will your kids enjoy?
Little kids: Oakvale Wildlife Park, Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary, Toboggan Hill Park, Lollybug, fish feeding, beaches, Spirited Play Café and rock pools.
Primary school kids: Sandboarding, dolphin cruises, Irukandji, Oakvale, Toboggan Hill Park, putt putt, Tomaree Summit, camel riding, surfing, Fighter World and the Aquatic Centre.
Tweens: Sandboarding, snorkelling at Fly Point, kayaking, SUP, go-karts, fishing, surfing, Tomaree Summit, climbing, whale watching and the Aquapark.
Teenagers: Quad biking, paintball, sandboarding, fishing, SUP, kayaking, surfing, Fly Point snorkelling, dolphin swimming, go-karts, indoor climbing, the fighter jet simulator, aquapark, whale watching, Irukandji and the new crocodile experience.
Things to do with younger kids in Port Stephens
Visit the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary
For animal-loving children, the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary at One Mile is a lovely introduction to Australian wildlife.
The sanctuary is set in native bushland and includes the Sanctuary Story Walk and elevated Skywalk, where you can look for koalas in the trees. There’s also a viewing window into the working koala hospital.
It is very different from a traditional zoo because the emphasis is on koala conservation, rehabilitation and seeing the animals in their natural habitat.
👉 Book your koala experience and help look after our sick koalas.
Best for: All ages, particularly animal-loving kids.
Visit Oakvale Wildlife Park
Oakvale is another great choice for younger children, particularly if they want to see more than just koalas.
There are Australian animals and farm animals, animal encounters and plenty of space to explore.
Best for: Toddlers through primary school, although older animal lovers will enjoy it too.
👉 Check prices and wildlife encounter options.
Visit the Lollybug
You can’t write a guide to things to do with kids in Port Stephens and leave out the Lollybug.
There are two Lollybug stores — the big one in Nelson Bay and a smaller one in Shoal Bay.
The Nelson Bay shop is the one to visit if you want the full lolly experience, while the Shoal Bay store is an easy stop when you’re already exploring the bay.
And if you need a reward after a big day out, this works particularly well.
Tomaree Summit → Lollybug.
Beach day → Lollybug.
Surviving another day of family holidays → Lollybug.
You get the idea.
Best for: Kids of all ages. And adults who haven’t completely grown up.
Watch the fish being fed at the marina
This is an easy and inexpensive activity for younger children.
Head to the marina at 10.30am to watch the fish feeding, then combine it with a wander around the waterfront and, naturally, an ice cream.
It’s also one of the activities I’ve included in my guide to Free things to do in Port Stephens.
Best for: Toddlers and younger primary-school kids.
Spend the day at Toboggan Hill Park
Toboggan Hill Park is one of the better options when you’ve got children of different ages because there’s more than one thing to do.
There’s the famous toboggan run, plus putt putt, amusement games for younger children, a small roller-skating rink, indoor rock climbing and a little train.
So one child can be desperate to ride the toboggan while another is perfectly happy with the games and train.
Best for: Families with children of different ages.
Have a play at Spirited Play Café
For toddlers and younger children who need somewhere to burn off some energy, Spirited Play Café is a useful option. Check opening times. In quiet times, they sometimes close early so call ahead.
It’s particularly handy on a rainy day or when the adults need five minutes with a coffee while the kids play.
Best for: Toddlers and younger children.
Explore the rock pools
Give kids a pair of reef shoes and a little time around the rock pools and they’ll often entertain themselves far longer than you expect.
Iris Moore is one place to explore, looking for the little creatures that live among the rocks.
Just keep a close eye on children around the water and check the conditions before heading down onto the rocks.
Best for: Curious kids of all ages, with close supervision for younger children.
Things to do with primary school-aged kids
Go sandboarding on the Stockton Sand Dunes
If your kids have never been sandboarding, put this high on the list.
The Stockton dunes are enormous, and sliding down them is one of those Port Stephens experiences kids tend to remember.
There are different ways to experience the dunes, including sandboarding tours, and some experiences offer unlimited runs.
👉 Book your unlimited sandboarding adventure now.
Read my complete Stockton Sand Dunes guide before you go.
Best for: Primary school kids, tweens and teenagers.
Go on a dolphin cruise
Port Stephens is famous for its bottlenose dolphins, and getting out on the water to look for them is a classic family experience.
The dolphins are wild, so there’s never a guarantee they’ll perform on cue, but that’s part of the magic.
For more ideas about where you can look for dolphins, see my guide to Where to see dolphins in Port Stephens.
Best for: All ages.
Meet the animals at Irukandji
Irukandji Shark & Ray Encounters is a very different sort of wildlife experience.
Rather than simply looking at marine animals through glass, children can get close to sharks and rays and, depending on the experience, get into the water with them.
👉 Check out the options and availability before they book out.
Best for: Kids who are fascinated by marine life, from younger children through to teenagers.
Climb Tomaree Headland
For kids who enjoy a challenge, tackle the Tomaree Summit.
It’s a steep walk in places, but the views from the top make the effort worthwhile.
And there’s a fun reward for kids who make it: they can collect a certificate of achievement from the Port Stephens Visitor Information Centre.
Best for: Active primary-school kids, tweens and teenagers.
To find out more, go to Tomaree Headland Summit Walk – Everything you need to know before you go.
Ride a camel
Camel riding along the beach is one of those quintessentially Port Stephens experiences that kids tend to remember.
It’s particularly good if you’re looking for something a little different from the usual beach-and-wildlife activities.
Oakfield Ranch runs camel rides from Birubi Beach, with shorter daytime rides as well as longer sunset experiences at selected times. Sunset rides often book out.
👉 Check availability with Oakfield Ranch Camel Rides.
Best for: Children who love animals and families looking for something different.
Learn to surf
Give the kids a chance to learn to surf at one of Port Stephens’ beaches.
A lesson is a good way to start because they get some instruction before attempting to stand up on the board themselves.
👉 Check availability for your surfing lesson with Port Stephens Surf School.
Best for: School-aged kids and teenagers.
Have a go at golf, baseball and putt putt
David Graham’s Golf Complex is a handy one-stop option for sporty kids.
You can use the driving range, have a go at the baseball batting range, play putt putt, or try the 9-hole par-three course.
And if traditional golf doesn’t appeal, there’s also frisbee golf and soccer golf.
That makes this a particularly useful option for families where everyone has slightly different interests.
Best for: Primary school kids, tweens and teenagers.
Zoom down the toboggan at Toboggan Hill Park
Zoom down the 1km steel toboggan track at Toboggan Hill Park. Kids aged 8 years and older can ride by themselves. Younger kids ride tandem with an adult.
There are also many other activities you can enjoy including roller skating, putt putt, indoor rock climbing and other activities.
Try go-karting
For kids who love anything involving speed and competition, go-karting is an obvious choice.
Go-Karts-Go is located at Bobs Farm. Check the current age, height and experience requirements when booking, as these can vary.
Best for: Older primary-school kids, tweens and teenagers, depending on the requirements.
Visit Fighter World
Aviation-loving kids will enjoy getting close to the aircraft at Fighter World. You can even sit in a fighter jet. It’s a great rainy day option or if you have had too much sun.
There’s also a fighter jet simulator, which is likely to be the highlight for older children.
Real fighter jets fly Monday to Thursday 9am – 5pm and Friday 9am – 4pm. There is a viewing platform giving a clear view of the runway.
Best for: Primary-school kids through teenagers.
Go ten-pin bowling
Ten-pin bowling is one of those reliable family activities that works when everyone wants to do something together. Strike Bowling is located in Salamander near KFC.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re competitive, hopeless at bowling or somewhere in between.
Best for: All ages.
Swim at Tomaree Aquatic Centre
Tomaree Aquatic Centre has a 50-metre outdoor pool, a toddler pool and a waterslide, making it useful for families with children of different ages.
For older kids, the waterslide is the attraction; younger children have their own pool and play area.
Check opening times and seasonal closures before visiting, particularly outside summer.
Best for: School-aged kids and teenagers.
Things to do with tweens and teenagers in Port Stephens
This is where Port Stephens really comes into its own.
Once your children are old enough to want a little more adventure, there are plenty of ways to keep them occupied.
Go fishing
Fishing isn’t just something you can do in Port Stephens. For some local kids, it’s practically a way of life.
Our son was the local junior fishing champion, and as a teenager he lived for fishing. Fishing was even offered as a sport at his high school.
We took the competition pretty seriously at home too.
We had a fiercely competitive brag board in the kitchen, with each family member’s name, the species of fish and the length of the fish they held the family record for.
There were some very serious family rivalries over those records!
So if you’ve got a young angler in the family, don’t dismiss fishing as something to fill a spare afternoon. Port Stephens has plenty of opportunities for kids to fish from the shore, jetties and other accessible spots, or you can organise a more serious fishing experience.
Best for: Kids who would happily swap sightseeing for a fishing rod.
Snorkel at Fly Point
For confident swimmers, Fly Point is one of the Port’s special places to get in the water.
It’s a protected aquatic reserve with marine life close to shore, including fish, blue groper, wobbegongs and other underwater life.
Go at high tide, and check the conditions before getting in. This isn’t somewhere I’d send inexperienced swimmers into unsuitable conditions.
Remember that it’s a protected reserve, so fishing and collecting marine life aren’t permitted.
If you haven’t been snorkelling before, a small group guided snorkelling tour at Fly Point includes all the gear, plus you’ll know what to look out for.
👉 Book your guided snorkelling tour now as likely to book out.
Got an adventurous teenager who loves the water. Check out all the Water Activities in Port Stephens.
Best for: Confident swimmers, tweens and teenagers.
Kayak around Shoal Bay
If your teenagers have had enough of sightseeing, get them out on the water.
Kayaking around Shoal Bay is a lovely way to see the coastline from a completely different perspective, with Tomaree Headland looming over the bay.
You can hire equipment or join a guided experience with Port Stephens Kayak.
Best for: Tweens and teenagers, subject to the operator’s current age requirements.
Try stand-up paddleboarding
SUP is another good option for active teenagers.
Shoal Bay is particularly appealing because you can combine a paddle with a swim and a beach day. Hire a paddle board from Port Stephens Kayak.
It’s also an activity where teenagers can become increasingly independent as their confidence improves.
Best for: Tweens and teenagers.
Go quad biking on the Stockton Sand Dunes
If your teenager is looking for adrenaline, quad biking across the Stockton dunes is hard to beat. This is one for older teenagers. They must be 16 years and older to participate.
There are two operators in Port Stephens, Quad Bike King operate from Murrook Cultural Centre in Williamtown whilst Sand Dune Adventures are based in Anna Bay. I’ve ridden quad bikes with my kids in Bali, so this is exactly the sort of activity our grown-up kids love.
👉 Don’t miss out. Book your Quad bike adventure.
Best for: Adventurous teenagers 16 years and older, subject to operator requirements.
Play paintball
For teenagers who have outgrown putt putt and want something competitive, paintball with Hellfire Paint Ball at Salt Ash is another option. Bookings are essential.
It’s a proper active team game and a good choice for a group of teenagers rather than a quiet family afternoon.
Best for: Teenagers (must be at least 12 years to participate), subject to the current minimum age and booking requirements.
Go sandboarding
If the kids can’t get enough of the Stockton dunes, book an experience that allows multiple or unlimited runs.
The first run is exciting.
By the tenth, they’ve usually worked out exactly how to go faster — and somehow still have enough energy to climb back up the dune.
👉 Book your unlimited sandboarding adventure now.
Best for: Tweens and teenagers.
Learn to surf
Older kids can take a proper surf lesson or spend the day practising what they’ve learned.
One Mile Beach is a good place to combine a lesson with a full beach day.
👉 Book your surfing lesson with Port Stephens Surf School.
Best for: Tweens and teenagers.
Swim with wild dolphins
For confident older swimmers, a dolphin swim is a completely different experience from watching dolphins from a boat.
You’re entering the ocean and allowing wild dolphins to decide whether they want to interact.
It is a genuine bucket-list experience for the right child. Book directly with Dolphin Swim Australia.
Best for: Older children and teenagers who are confident in the ocean.
Go whale watching
During whale migration season, take the kids out on a whale-watching cruise.
Seeing a humpback whale breach or slap its tail is difficult to beat.
See my guide to Wonderful Whale Watching in Port Stephens for more information about the season and what to expect.
Best for: All ages, although very young children may find a boat trip challenging.
Go to the Aquapark
During the warmer months, the Port Stephens Aquapark provides another way for energetic kids to spend a few hours getting wet.
It’s seasonal, so check that it’s operating when you’re visiting. It generally opens for the Spring school holidays and closes after the Easter school holidays.
Best for: School-aged kids, tweens and teenagers.
Try indoor rock climbing
Toboggan Hill Park also has indoor rock climbing, giving teenagers another option when they want something active but the weather isn’t cooperating.
Best for: Older children, tweens and teenagers.
Race around the arcade
The arcade at the marina is an easy way to entertain older kids for an hour or two.
Set the kids a token budget and see who can turn it into the best prize.
Then head outside for an ice cream.
Best for: All ages, particularly tweens and teenagers.
Wildlife experiences kids will remember
Meet kangaroos at Port Stephens Golf Club
You don’t necessarily have to visit a wildlife park to see kangaroos.
Port Stephens Golf Club runs kangaroo tours, giving families an opportunity to see the resident kangaroos around the golf course.
It’s a particularly nice experience because you’re seeing Australian wildlife in a natural setting rather than simply looking at animals in an enclosure.
Best for: All ages.
Meet koalas at Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary
The Koala Sanctuary is another opportunity to see Australian wildlife in a natural bushland setting.
The elevated Skywalk gives you a treetop perspective, and the sanctuary is focused on conservation and the care of koalas.
👉 Book your koala experience and help look after our sick koalas.
Best for: All ages.
Swim with a crocodile
This is one Port Stephens activity that wasn’t around when our kids were growing up — and, full disclosure, we haven’t tried it ourselves!
But if you’ve got an adventurous older child or teenager, it’s certainly one to know about.
Port Stephens Crocodile Encounters at Bobs Farm now offers an in-water crocodile experience involving more than 20 crocodiles, culminating in an encounter with Rocksteady, a 4.8-metre, 800-kilogram crocodile. The current in-water experience is available to children aged 8–16, with bookings essential.
👉 Book your bucket list crocodile swim experience
The facility is indoors, which also makes this a particularly interesting option when the weather isn’t playing along.
Best for: Adventurous older kids and teenagers.
Important: This is a newer experience and isn’t one we’ve personally tested, so check the operator’s current requirements and safety information before booking.
Have a proper beach day
You don’t need to organise an attraction every day of your holiday.
Sometimes the best thing to do with kids in Port Stephens is simply spend the whole day at the beach.
My family picks are:
- Little Beach – sheltered and family-friendly
- Shoal Bay – beautiful and convenient, with plenty nearby
- Fingal Bay – spectacular and spacious
- One Mile Beach – great for a proper beach day and surfing
Rather than pretending these are four different things to do, I’d count them as one: have a beach day.
For more detail about which beach suits which activity, see my guide to the Best Beaches in Port Stephens.
Other easy family activities
Ride bikes from Shoal Bay to Fingal Bay
For families with confident young cyclists, riding between Shoal Bay and Fingal Bay is a good way to explore without getting back in the car.
Best for: Confident cyclists, tweens and teenagers.
Make a Port Stephens scavenger hunt
This costs absolutely nothing and can turn sightseeing into a game.
Give the kids a list of things to find:
- A pelican
- A dolphin
- A fishing boat
- A kangaroo
- A rock-pool creature
- A lighthouse
- A giant sand dune
- A shell
- Something shaped like a heart
- An ice cream shop
Best for: Younger and primary-school children.
Jump off the Shoal Bay jetty
For confident swimmers, jumping from the jetty at Shoal Bay can be a favourite summer activity.
But this one comes with a big check-first: water depth, conditions, other water users and whether jumping is permitted at the time all matter.
Best for: Confident older children and teenagers.
Visit the summer school-holiday carnival
During the summer school holidays, keep an eye out for the carnival at Neil Carroll Rotary Park.
It’s a classic school-holiday activity with rides and games.
Best for: Younger kids through teenagers.
Get an ice cream
Sometimes this really does deserve to be an activity.
The marina in Nelson Bay is an easy place to grab an ice cream and wander along the waterfront.
Combine it with fish feeding, the arcade or a walk around the marina and you’ve got an easy family outing without booking anything.
Free things to do with kids in Port Stephens
You don’t need a huge budget to entertain children here.
Some of the best free options include:
- Spend the day at the beach
- Watch the fish feeding at the marina
- Explore rock pools
- Nelson Bay scavenger hunt
- Walk along the foreshore
- Explore the marina
- Watch the boats
- Look for kangaroos
- Go for a bike ride
- Explore Port Stephens’ lookouts and coastal areas
For more ideas, see my complete guide to Free Things to do in Port Stephens.
What to do in Port Stephens with kids when it rains
Don’t assume rain means the holiday is ruined.
Some of the family activities that work well in wet weather include:
- Port Stephens Crocodile Encounters
- Irukandji
- Toboggan Hill Park
- Indoor rock climbing
- Spirited Play Café
- Ten-pin bowling
- Fighter World
- The marina arcade
- Other animal encounters
I’ve put together a separate guide to Things to do in Port Stephens with kids on a rainy day, which is worth saving for your trip.
Planning a weekend in Port Stephens with kids?
If you’re only here for a couple of days, you don’t need to try to squeeze all of these activities into one weekend.
I’ve already put together How to Spend a Weekend in Port Stephens with Kids, with a family-friendly itinerary that takes the guesswork out of deciding what to do.
And if you’re planning a longer stay, my Ultimate Guide to Port Stephens by a Local brings together the beaches, activities, towns, food, wildlife and practical information you’ll need to plan your trip.
More Port Stephens guides for families
Ultimate Guide to Port Stephens by a Local – my complete guide to exploring the area.
Best Beaches in Port Stephens – which beaches I’d choose for swimming, families, surfing and scenery.
Stockton Sand Dunes Guide – everything you need to know about visiting and sandboarding on the dunes.
Where to See Dolphins in Port Stephens – places to look for dolphins and ways to get out on the water.
Wonderful Whale Watching in Port Stephens – what to expect during whale season.
Free Things to Do in Port Stephens – family-friendly activities that won’t cost you a cent.
Things to Do in Port Stephens with Kids on a Rainy Day – because even Port Stephens gets wet days.
The best thing about a family holiday in Port Stephens?
You don’t have to entertain the kids every minute.
After 20 years of testing Port Stephens with four children, I’ve learnt that some of the things they’ll remember most aren’t necessarily the expensive attractions.
It might be the fish they caught, the kangaroo they spotted, the time they finally stood up on a surfboard, the ridiculous family competition over fishing records, or the ice cream they ate after a day at Shoal Bay.
And if all else fails?
There’s always the Lollybug.
