Tea Gardens Port Stephens NSW Australia Pictures
Dolphins, Nelson Bay Ferry Dock, Bridge to Hawks Nest, Myall River
Tea Gardens is a community near Port Stephens, NSW Australia, north of Sydney.
And while you MAY find tea gardens here, the town is named for the tea plants that were once planted here.
Or it could get its name from the dark tea color waters of the Myall River. Take your pick.
I'd come on the Nelson Bay ferry on a rainy day knowing there'd be much to do indoors if the weather didn't cooperate.
Near the ferry dock, this large sign has a map explaining where you are on this north shore of Nelson Bay. Apparently this bay has more water frontage than does Sydney Harbour.
Port Stephens Nelson Bay ferry arriving at Tea Gardens Dock 
I came to Tea Gardens on the larger ferry from Nelson Bay and made the return trip to Port Stephens on the smaller ferry shown here.
I had hoped to cross the bridge over the Myall River -- the body of water in the picture here -- to Hawks Nest and get to the Myall Coast Park and the beaches on the Tasman Sea Pacific coast.
It looked fairly close on the map, but it was too far to walk -- almost 7 kms each way (see google map) -- and I was told there is no cab service here.
If you are driving, this seems like a wonderful area to explore north of Port Stephens following the Pacific Highway - Route 1 from Raymond Terrace.
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Ice Cream Shack VW Combi Makes Decor Statement in Tea Gardens NSW 
With my walkabout plans fallen through, I walked along the riverfront on Marine Drive.
There are a number of little shops and restaurants that cater to visitors, like the Ice Cream Shack shown here.
The Nelson Bay ferry staff handed out maps of local attractions, most of which are within a mile of the ferry dock.
I made my way south on Marine Drive back towards the bridge where we'd seen dolphins from the ferry, hoping to get a closer look.
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Motor Boat Dolphin Watch near Tea Gardens Hawks Nest brige over Myall River 
As I approached the Myall River bridge (the 'Singing Bridge' linking Myall Street and Kingfisher Avenue), I could see several dophins bobbing about 40 feet from shore.
A man fishing near where I took this picture from the west bank of the Myall River was also watching the dolphin show near this boat.
When I asked him if he was catching many fish, he pointed to the dolphins and said, "No and I am not likely to catch anything until they're done."
I stood and watched the dolphins for about 20 minutes, until the rain began again in earnest. Then I headed back towards the ferry and ducked into one of the cafes for coffee and soup.
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Tea Gardens Myall River Park area Barbecues With Mosaics of Australian Birds 
Across from the Tea Gardens ferry docks at the Public Wharf, the park area along the river has several sheltered barbecues decorated with mosaics done by local artists.
Myall Lakes National Park, just northeast of Tea Gardens Hawks Nest is home to 280 species of birds; the main Myall Lakes, 'the largest brackish water systems in the world'; and Bennetts Beach from Hawks Nest is 44 km (27 MILES) long!
Tea Garden and Hawks Nest, and Myall Park area is IMO undervisited by visitors to Australia, and even by Australians themselves.
If you like beaches, boating, trail walking, wildlife watching and much else in the natural world, then do try and spend some time in this area. But if you can't then a day trip is a good alternative!
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