Panoramic Views on Tomaree Head Summit Walk

By Ellen – (Updated Jan 23)

⏱ 2 min

One of the most well-known things to do in the Port Stephens and Nelson Bay area is the Tomaree Head Summit Walk. Basically, this short hike offers some beautiful coastal views and is only a 2.2km return walk. On average, it takes only 1.5 hours to complete but you can take more time, or less if you want to treat it like a workout. 😊

Tomaree Head Summit Walk Snapshot

• Location: Tomaree National Park, New South Wales, Australia
• Distance: 2.2 km
• Duration: 1 – 1.5hrs 
• Elevation gain: 161m
• Difficulty: Easy-Medium because of the steep incline to go up
• How to go: The entrance to the TomareeTrack is at the far end of Shoal Bay Road. There is plenty of parking.

The way up has some steep parts, including a set of stairs. On the way up, you have views of the ocean to the east and once you’re at the top, you are rewarded with a spectacular panoramic view. To the north, lies Yacaaba Head, Cabbage Tree, Boondelbah, and Broughton Islands. To the south, you have views of Zenith, Wreck, and Box Beaches.

Our recommendations are to bring water, wear comfortable shoes, and be prepared depending on your fitness level. Don’t be fooled by the short length of the hike. For some, the stairs and steep part might be quite taxing.

What else to do after the Tomaree Head Summit Walk?

Grab some food

Before or after the hike, get a good meal at The Little Nel. We had breakfast there, and it was delicious! Plenty of options and great smoothies.

Stockton Sand Dunes

If you want to check out the Stockton Sand Dunes, they’re closeby. Some photos on Instagram show some amazing and large sand dunes but many of them are only accessible by joining a tour, using your own 4WD vehicle, or you’ll have to walk a long way across the hot sand. In addition, some days, depending on the wind, there can be good or bad dunes. We didn’t want to join a tour and did not have a 4WD vehicle, so we found an alternative way to explore the dunes that did not require a long walk.

We found the tip here, on TripAdvisor. You can park your car on Dune Drive, in the Fern Bay Seaside Village (on Seaside Blvd). Park on the side of the road without any houses. Behind the brush, you’ll find a walking track that leads you to the sand dunes. It is only about a 600m walk. Unfortunately, we didn’t encounter any of the largely impressive sand dunes posted all over social media, but we had a good time flying the drone and hanging out.

Further Reading…

This post was short and sweet, like the Tomaree Head Summit Walk itself! For other ideas of great hikes to do in NSW, you may want to check out these other posts: