Things To Do
Hawks Nest is an ideal location to just spend time taking it easy.
There are also many activities available in and around the town. Some of these are listed below.
Activities In Hawks Nest & Tea Gardens
- Bennetts Beach is just 260 metres from the apartment. It is a beautiful beach, with sand stretching into the distance. The challenging surf is suitable for board and body surfing. The beach is patrolled. The Surf Club provides an excellent location to sit on the balcony and observe activities on the beach while enjoying a drink from the bar. As an alternative, Jimmys Beach is sheltered from the ocean and offers calm and clear water, suitable for children.
- For a pleasant day out, take the ferry from Tea Gardens to Nelson Bay. Ferries depart from the Myall River wharf. Dolphins are regularly sighted on the river.
- Join Ezy Kayaks on a guided kayak tour to explore the Myall River at an easy pace. Kayak into mangroves, past shipwrecks, around islands and see lots of local wildlife up close. Kayaks and stand up paddleboards are available for hire.
- Hawks Nest and Tea Gardens are quite flat and easy for cycling. Bicycles can be hired across the road from the apartment, just in front of the Reflections holiday park. Helmets are available in the nearby Benchmark cafe. The bikes for hire include child bikes and child seats.
- Hawks Nest has a quality 18 hole golf course, which is within walking distance of the apartment. Visitors are welcome. Hawks Nest also provides an excellent base from which to play other courses, including Nelson Bay, Pacific Dunes and Forster.
- There are numerous coffee shops and restaurants in Hawks Nest and Tea Gardens. Benchmark on Booner is a licensed bar and restaurant, located very close to the apartment. Hawks Nest Golf Club provides an alternative restaurant and bar within walking distance of the apartment. The cafes in the Hawks Nest shopping centre are also within easy walking distance. A short drive away, Tea Gardens Hotel and Tea Gardens Country Club are popular spots for evening meals. Other local restaurants include The Boatshed, Mumm`s on The Myall, The Fish Co-op, Tillermans, Tea Gardens Thai House and Moon Garden Chinese restaurant.
Other activities include wind surfing, water skiing, diving, bushwalking, bird watching, bowls, river fishing and ocean fishing.
Activities In Surrounding Areas
- Explore the Myall River, which starts near Stroud and flows south-eastwards for 92 kilometres into the bay of Port Stephens at Hawks Nest. The Myall River is renowned for its calm scenic beauty that’s perfect for boating, paddle boarding, kayaking, fishing, swimming and scenic cruises.
- Spend a day at Barrington Tops, which offers rainforest, breathtaking waterfalls, superb views and picnic areas. The area is ideal for kayaking and walking, with walks ranging from easy to overnight hikes.
- Visit the nearby towns of Dungog, Stroud and Gloucester. Dungog has a collection of heritage-listed buildings and a town walk, where blue plaques highlight fascinating colonial history. The Dungog Museum offers insights into local timber and dairy origins. Film buffs will love the Spanish-style James Theatre, Australia’s oldest operating cinema. Stroud is a small, genuinely historic and picturesque village notable for its large number of convict-era buildings. It is nestled in the pleasant, green and rather English, Karuah Valley. The town is under National Trust classification. It was created in the 1820s and 1830s as a company town for the Australian Agricultural Company which means that much of it was planned and the most significant buildings were constructed by the company’s convict workforce, who made the bricks by hand. Gloucester is an old style country town. Travel back to the time of famous local outlaw Captain Thunderbolt at the Gloucester Museum, which has artefacts dating back to 1826. Gold fever struck the district in 1876, and you can find out more about the gold rush on the Copeland Historic Gold Mine Tour of the Mountain Maid gold mine.
For those seeking less active pursuits, you can visit the gin distillery at Allworth, or even take a trip to the Hunter Valley vineyards.
