Destinations > Dunes

ABORIGINAL EVIDENCE
While travelling amongst the dunes, you'll notice piles of long-ago emptied shells and bones of birds, lizards and small animals. These Middens are the left over's of the Worimi Aboriginal tribes' meals. Stockton Beach was recently handed back to the Worimi people and is co-managed with the NPWS.
It is prohibited to drive over or disturb these Middens, or any other remains that may become uncovered in the sand, so please do keep off them.

FISHING
Paradise for a fisho is selecting from one of the many 'gutters' along a long beach front, seeking out their own fresh bait (pippies and sand worms), casting, retrieving all manor of variety of fish, cooking and eating on the spot while delighting in the natural beauty that is Stockton Beach. There is mile after mile of fishing spots to choose from, which generally makes a secluded spot easy to procure.
If you haven't experienced the massive dune systems of Stockton Beach, treat yourself to at least a day visit in either your own 4WD or one of the many tour operators that are based at the northern end of the beach front, just down from the Café at Birubi Point.

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If you're camping on the beach, you can do so within 100m of the high water mark (no extra fees are applicable) and you'll need to supply your own firewood. Caution must be exercised as the wind can pick up during the night and there's not much shelter - even on the lee side of a dune you'll often end up with sand in your food...and most other places of your body, but that's all part of the fun of visiting one of Australia's largest sand masses.

GETTING THERE
Heading north from Sydney, you'll exit the Pacific Highway, to the southern end of Stockton Beach, just a few hundred metres north of the Hexham Bridge (near Newcastle), into Tamago Road after which you'll arrive at the Lavis Lane entry point, which then takes you onto the beach via Macs Track.
Further north, near Anna Bay (just south of Nelson Bay) at Birubi Point, is the northern beach entrance, off Gan Gan Road, then into James Paterson Street - an easier route for the inexperienced as the Lavis Lane route can become quite rutted from traffic with soft patches that'll catch even the experienced at times.

PERMITS
There are two types of permits available for Stockton Beach: a beach vehicle permit (for standard road registered 4WDs and only for one nominated vehicle) and a recreational vehicle area permit (for conditionally registered vehicles - quad bikes, trikes, ATVs and the like). Both permits can be purchased for three days at $10, or 12 months for $30. Pensioners can get the 12-month beach permit for $15.

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