Port Phtevens (Stevens)

In celebration for the end of exams (HM-B done and dusted!) some friends and I decided to go the hard yards and head up North to Port Stevens.

And let me just say, in hindsight, absolutely no regrets.

Well, perhaps, the only regret is that it took me so long to actually go on one.

So, with a handy group of 11 people and 3 cars, we braved the three hour drive up to Port Stephens.

Or, as we liked to call it, Port Phtephens.

From here

It hadn't even been one year since I last visited this place, but I missed it so much already. Port Stephens has always been an old-time favourite of mine, with many family holidays spent here. 

So, as per tradition, we stopped at Terrigal Beach after an hour and a bit to rest up and have a little picnic. Chips and dips all round, and plenty of smiles.

Taken by my friend, SW.

With looming clouds, we were slightly concerned that the weather would turn sour. The weather report claimed the Thursday would rain, so let's just say we were a bit uncertain.

With the clock striking 11am, we decided it'd be about time we headed up and continued our way to our final destination. Where to meet? My all time favourite beach: Little Beach.

But first, we ducked off to the Gan Gan Lookout to scope out the surroundings.

And, as a result, we were promptly late to meeting our friends at Little Beach. (But we weren't the last car to arrive, so that justifies things, right?!)

It is, as you would expect, quite a little beach.

Some good time was spent on the playground and relaxing. This was the break we needed after such an intense period of studying and worries. Sometimes it takes a road trip to remember that all you really need is a group of friends and a playground.

Whilst a group of us headed off to shop for groceries (of which a lot of money was spent), the remainder went to fish at the pier. But, to no avail. No biggie! The real catch was the laughter that was had.

And of course, some magnificent pictures of the sunset.

Dinner was made (it took us a fair while to sort everything out) and the first day was over. A relaxing, 'settling-in' Day 1 that I think everyone appreciated. It was, after all, a feeling we had long forgotten with the buzz of medical school.

Oh wait, nope! No night-with-friends-away-from-home is complete without some form of desert.

With the lack of an oven, but yet a craving for cake, we went for Nutella mud-cake!

Which promptly exploded.

It tasted amazing though.

A long night after a long day.

But, of course, not a long sleep, for we rose up early the next morning to prepare for the day's activities. And to try fishing again (which was a second failure, but all in good fun).

The day's plan? Sand-dune surfing was a must. Off to Anna Bay it was, and with no trouble at all, we managed to get a fantastic deal with Port Stephens 4WD Tours and head off into the sand-dunes for a long time of fun. A teaser video of the many stumbles is on my Instagram.

If you look closely, the others are all standing at the top of the dune.

As per tradition, lunch was Fish 'n' Chips (a LOT of it), and we walked straight over to Anna Bay to spend a large portion of the arvo there.

Once again, one of my favourite beaches of all time.

Not sure if snow...

Before the sun set, we hustled our way back to Little Beach for the second sunset there.

We had planned the day before that we must take some jumping shots into the water at sunset, and consequently, I was determined.

But... the temperature had dropped and the water was cold. Very cold. It was a barrier to our plan.

Thankfully, my overwhelming determination (or, perhaps, stupidity and ignorance towards the cold) made me hop into the water regardless, and I can confirm that it wasn't that cold (though my friends' report otherwise).

"Do it for the shot"

Day 2 ended with a nice meal of spaghetti-pie (slightly modified carbonara), more mud-cake, and a bit of a fun night with a random podcast about eyebrows and babushkas. And nail painting.

Next morning, an 8am rise and two hours of intense cleaning, cooking, and packing-up for a 10am check-out (which, we did make in time!)

A meal of oysters was had at Holbert's Oyster Supplies, and the rest of the day spent snorkeling at Nelson Bay, and paddle-boarding at Shoal Bay. Another giant meal of Fish 'n' Chips later, we finally packed up and began our journey home. It had been a long three days, and we were exhausted (neck and arms aching!)

But, of course, no road trip could be complete without a Macca's run, and we seemed to have forgotten to do so thus far (incredible, I know.)

So, at 7PM, we rocked up at a McDonalds, feasted for dinner, said our final goodbyes ("See you in two days!" Incredibly saddening, I know), and drove the way home.

Arriving home, I emptied out the beach which had found itself in my bag and belongings, and tried to clear out all the sand that had seeped into all my body orifices (there's still some in my ears, I swear). And then I promptly collapsed on the bed and slept for a long, long time.

It was a good hustle. It was a good time. There's nothing else I can really say.

I loved every moment of it. I'd write more, but I'm exhausted, and you'll see more of the mischief we got up to when I post the video of the times we had.

Much love and treasured memories.