On the largest moving coastal dune system in the southern hemisphere, discover a long history and deep cultural meaning in the shifting sands.
Standing at the top of the dune, I feel like a little kid again. A little kid who’s worried about his ACL. I’ve got a sandboard in my hand, but I’m about 30 metres up and it’s a long way down. But at least it’s not too steep, so here I go… arghhh… OK, it is reeeaaally steeeep!
I get to the bottom of the dune, sandboard still in hand, knee intact, and now with sand where you don’t want it to be. But what a rush! The actual kids are running back up to the top, ready for another slide down. I follow them, a bit slower. Why not?
A landscape of ancient Worimi stories and song. (Credit: Destination NSW/Ethan Rohloff)
The Stockton Dunes are enormous, stretching for about 32 kilometres from Anna Bay in Port Stephens down to the tip of Newcastle. I’ve been driven out here by Port Stephens 4WD Tours in one of its special dune buses, but these sands were marked by footprints well before tours were even imagined.
The dunes are flanked by coastal heathland and forest. (Credit: Destination NSW)
A boundary sign for Worimi Conservation Lands. (Credit: Destination NSW)
For millennia, the Worimi people have lived in the region and used this sweeping bit of coastline to travel between different parts of their Country. Traditionally, they caught fish and collected pipis, mussels and oysters – with cultural living sites still marking the places of rest. And along their coastal journeys are Dreaming tracks that tell the stories of the landscape’s formation.
These important cultural connections are one of the reasons the dunes, along with the beach on one side and forest on the other, are now protected as part of the Worimi Conservation Lands. Owned by the local Aboriginal community, the lands are co-managed by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service for public access.
With a permit, you can drive your own car along Stockton Beach, stopping wherever you want to explore or relax. But one of the benefits of joining Port Stephens 4WD Tours is a guided trip to some of the beach’s highlights on the way to the sandboarding experience.
The raw thrill of sandboarding. (Credit: Destination NSW)
“I like walking up behind the frontal dunes," guide Craig Hallam tells me. “It’s like beachcombing. I’ve found a 1930s medicine vial and a Coke bottle from the ’60s, and there’s lots of black pumice at the moment from the underwater eruption in Tonga a few years ago."
The guides will also help you find pipis in the sand near the waterline, just as the Worimi people have always done. Or there’s even a different tour that goes much further down the beach, about 12 kilometres, to the eerie Tin City.
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Wandering Tin City
Stay at Sally the Skywatcher tiny home at B.Farm. (Credit: Destination NSW/Jason Ierace)
Hyper-local dishes
are a highlight of the precinct’s culinary
offerings. (Credit: Destination NSW/Jason Ierace)
Guests enjoy lunch with sweeping views of the property. (Credit: Destination NSW/Jason Ierace)
While the origins of Tin City can feel like a mystery to visitors, the first sheds were actually built for shipwreck survivors in the late 1800s, before being expanded by squatters during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Incredibly, the 11 remaining tin huts are still privately occupied as holiday retreats. The deal is that owners can maintain the properties, but not improve or rebuild them. It’s strange to see these rustic shelters in the middle of a windswept beach.
Even without a tour, you can access this part of the Stockton Dunes via a walking track through forest just off the peninsula’s main arterial road. And from the car park, I’d recommend popping into B.Farm, a lifestyle and hospitality precinct just a minute’s drive away. The original garden bar from Murray’s Craft Brewing is still here and there’s fine dining at Restaurant William, as well as an elegant high tea. There’s also a farm shop, wine tastings and a distillery. It’s an experiential destination, so I’m told.
Sally the Skywatcher has a sauna and bathhouse. (Credit: Destination NSW/Jason Ierace)
The Stockton Dunes may be constantly moving, some of the things you can do around them may be constantly evolving, but the spirit here has always been bright. The Worimi fought to protect this – for everyone – and it’s easy to see why it is so special, whether that’s by the water, among the blackbutts and paperbarks of the forest, or even at the top of a dune with a board held fearfully in your hand.
Travel details
How to get there
Port Stephens is 2.5 hours’ drive from Sydney and 40 minutes from Newcastle. Once there, the Stockton Sand Dunes are a 10-minute drive from Nelson Bay, the area’s main town.
Where to stay
Sally the Skywatcher is a luxury, tin tiny house at B.Farm complete with a private sauna and retractable roof designed for star-bathing.
Tours to try
The Beach and Dune Tour with Port Stephens 4WD Tours costs $57 for adults and $49 for children. A family pass is $180.
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Michael Turtle left Australia in 2011 to explore the world – and ended up travelling nomadically as a blogger for almost a decade! A little pandemic brought him home, where he rediscovered his love of Australia and all its fascinating stories. Michael is just as happy sipping a shiraz at a vineyard as hiking in the Outback, but his special place is a sunrise walk along Sydney Harbour.
The Southern Highlands earns its title as Australia’s top country town in the cooler months, and it’s worth every minute of the 90-minute drive from Sydney.
Many Sydneysiders head to the Southern Highlands in spring for the tulips. It’s one of the most stunning spring carnivals in Australia. But the ones in the know come to Bowral in winter.
The first thing you notice at this time of year is the quality of the light. It catches the tangled limbs of the gums and tints the fields, farms and forests a pretty shade of Granny Smith green. And then, a world-class art museum, an impressive network of walking trails, great shops, cosy restaurants and bars and luxury accommodation take centre stage, making Bowral a place you want to linger as the mercury drops.
Just 90 minutes south of Sydney, a Bowral winter getaway is the coolcation city folk desperately need. Here are eight reasons to pack a good coat and head for the Southern Highlands.
1. Check in
Check in to the gorgeous Ardour Milton Park Bowral. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Ardour Milton Park Bowral rises like a hologram in the hazy green light as you turn onto Horderns Road. A $10 million refurbishment of the grand 1910 estate was completed in early 2026, and the beautifully restored hotel now includes 44 guest rooms washed in sage green, cobalt blue and dusty blush. The dining room at Horderns Restaurant continues with a botanical theme – earthy banquettes, floral touches throughout – and a menu that moves with the seasons.
After enjoying slow-braised Cowra lamb and a second glass of red, move to the Polo Bar, which has a fireplace and views across the estate gardens. Build a grazing board from the dedicated Charcuterie Room and take it outside while the light lasts. If the sky clouds over, use this as your cue to enjoy a next-level spa experience at Èliva.
2. Hunt for treasure
Find vintage treasures in Dirty Janes. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Winter is the perfect season to lose an afternoon inside Dirty Janes Bowral. Over 1600 square metres of covered space houses 90 individual sellers of everything from mid-century furniture to industrial lighting, antique silverware, vintage clothing and objects whose previous lives you can only imagine. Enjoy a bit of off-the-cuff banter with your fellow fossickers in between searching for that must-have military jacket or vintage silk scarf.
Around the corner, find the Instagram-famous front door of FoundAntiques, though the real finds are deeper inside. Bring cash, wear comfortable shoes and leave some room in the boot.
3. Slow down in a beautiful gallery
Learn about an Aussie legend at The Bradman Museum. (Credit: Destination NSW)
Ngununggula – meaning ’belonging’ in the language of the Gundungurra First Nations people – is the region’s first dedicated regional gallery, housed inside the sustainably transformed old dairy building at historic Retford Park. The onsite White Cottage Gallery and restored grounds of the former Fairfax estate reward a slow wander. Find a spot to sit in the courtyard filled with rivulets of winter light and enjoy the plaintive call of a currawong carrying across the heritage-listed grounds. It’s one of the best things to do in Bowral.
Add Bowral Honey Farm for a hands-on harvest experience, then continue into town to the Milk Factory Gallery to admire eclectic works by local artists in a converted industrial space. The Bradman Museum also knocks it out of the park. Australia’s largest dedicated cricket museum sits beside the heritage-listed Bradman Oval, where a young Sir Donald Bradman first picked up a bat.
4. A taste of France
Enjoy a taste of France at Lucette.
For a taste of France without the airfare, husband-and-wife team Julien and Romy Besnard – of long-loved Franquette Crêperie – have opened Lucette, a French cafe-bistro with Paris-born chef Guillaume Dubois at the helm. Dubois brings serious pedigree from Michelin-starred kitchens in France and Sydney’s former two-hatted Monopole, and it shows. Start your day with pastries for breakfast and bookend it with boeuf bourguignon for dinner. The chocolate mousse, freckled with Guerande Salt, is the kind of dish that will make you feel smug about the decision to drive south. Join the Sydneysiders dressed in charcoal coats, boots and black tights who’ve already worked this out; the whole scene is worthy of splicing it into an Instagram reel.
Francophiles should also be across Julien’s Bowral Brasserie – led by Frenchman Julien Viel, who also found his way to the Southern Highlands and stayed.
5. Indulge in a tipple
Spend time amongst the local vines. (Credit: Destination NSW)
The drive to Centennial Vineyards passes through a beautiful woodland idyll, the countryside a fuzz of green all around. Inside the Barrel Room, a tasting flight of cool-climate pinot noir, chardonnay and reserve shiraz viognier flaunts how well the Southern Highlands does winter.
This is a region that takes its cool-climate wines seriously, and the pinot noir is one of the stars – a gentle, easy-drinking style with red cherry aromas. Follow your tutored cellar door tasting with another glass of wine in the Terrace Bar, which overlooks the vineyard and manicured grounds.
6. Blend your own gin
Pop into Millsheds Distillery & Bar. (Credit: Mattia Panunzio)
Millsheds Distillery & Bar is somewhat of a local secret. The award-winning small-batch operation produces gin, vodka and liqueurs using Australian botanicals and has picked up silver medals at both the London Spirits Competition and International Wine & Spirit Competition. Beyond the tasting paddle, the hands-on blending masterclass – where you design and leave with two bottles of your own custom gin – is the experience to book, while the terrace bar that wraps around the courtyard is a fine place to settle in afterwards.
7. Go for a walk at dawn
Switch your phone off sleep mode and set your alarm to early. Mt Gibraltar rises to 864 metres just east of Bowral’s main street and offers the best views in town. You will pass a raggle-taggle bunch of hikers on the way up to the summit, all making the same quiet pilgrimage into the crisp high-altitude air. On a clear morning, the bony ridges of the ranges come into sharp relief against the light. The return loop takes roughly 90 minutes. A flat white in Bowral tastes considerably better after completing one of the scenic walking trails.
8. Cosy up by the fireplace
Get cosy in the Berida Hotel’s whiskey bar.
A cosy bar is the perfect complement to winter in Bowral, and there are a few worth committing to. Aspinalls Whisky Bar & Lounge at the Berida Hotel is built for long, languorous evenings. Take a seat beside the fireplace laden with gnarled logs and work your way through a few whiskies and bar bites like Rangers Valley beef tartare, or salt cod and potato croquettes.
At Hickory’s within Peppers Craigieburn, well-dressed waiters in denim and leather move quietly between tables, and the cosy fireplace in the adjoining guest lounge attracts an Escape to the Country crowd.
