Tomaree Head

Visited: Autumn

Recommendation: This walk to the head of the Port Stephens peninsula is stunning location. Either side gives up spectacular views of the coast. In the autumn, the bird life was a little quiet but I would visit at any time of the year for the scenery alone.

Tomaree Head is at the end of the Port Stephens peninsula along the Karuah River. It is a steep and demanding uphill trek but mercifully short and well maintained. We took it slow and didn't really see very much past the Noisy Miners being, well, noisy. A very large Land Mullet didn't want to be photographed so we plodded up the hill listening to the alarm calls of the miners. A local man told us that goanna and wallabies were pretty common here so we kept watch every time we took a break. 

It was a very pleasant walk with glimpses of turquoise waters and sandy beaches below but we were glad to get to the top. It is only 161m above sea level but a good workout nonetheless. From the top were stunning views all around. Uninhabited islands could be seen to the north and I was hoping for a glimpse of a Gould's Petrel which nest there. They are a vulnerable species and only nest on these islands. A magpie tried to distract me and as always, I was engaged by it. 

To the south was Shark Island, connected by a sand spit to Fingal Beach. The views were stunning all around, even looking back along the more built up areas of Port Stephens. The lack of wildlife wasn't disappointing with such wonderful scenery.

On the way back, we took a detour to the north of the head to see old World War 2 gun placements and on the way caught out first break. A medium sized Lace Monitor was sauntering through the bush. Unco-operative as it was, we still got a good look at its bright colours.