The bucket-list things to do — and who runs each one.
Here’s the bucket list for your day ashore: the most extraordinary thing to do at each stop, who runs it, and how to book it direct — so you can weigh it against your ship’s excursion and pick what suits you.
In port at Newcastle, the bucket-list move is Hunter Valley Private Boutique Wine Tour from Newcastle. Below: 6 bucket-list things to do on a Newcastle port day — worth weighing against whatever your ship offers.
Journey into Australia's oldest wine region for an intimate, chauffeured tasting experience through world-class cellar doors and gourmet providores. Small-group luxury means unhurried conversation with winemakers and a table at a hatted estate restaurant.
Book itPrivate full-day wine tour in the Hunter Valley$363 per person
Sail into Port Stephens — Australia's dolphin capital — aboard a premium catamaran with one of the world's largest resident bottlenose dolphin pods (over 160 individuals). Add migrating humpback whales in season for a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife spectacle.
Book itDolphin Watch + Sailing - Port StephensAUD 50 per person (about $36)
Run by Dolphin and Whale Watch Booking Agency Nelson Bay / Port Stephens · 4.50 from 86 reviews
Float silently over a patchwork of golden vineyards and misty valley floors at dawn — one of Australia's most iconic bucket-list moments, capped with a champagne breakfast on landing.
Book itHunter Valley: Sunrise Balloon Ride with Bubbly Breakfast$239 per person
Run by Beyond Ballooning Hunter Valley · 4.90 from 938 reviews
Peel back Newcastle's convict-built bones on a private guided walk through heritage laneways, clifftop fortifications and the storied foreshore. Your expert local guide weaves true crime, colonial scandal and architectural brilliance into a gripping narrative.
Book itNewcastle Dark Stories True Crime TourAUD 34 per person (about $25)
Conquer the iconic 2.2 km return summit trail of Mount Tomaree in Port Stephens, earning a breathtaking 360° panorama of beaches, islands, and open Pacific — one of NSW's most celebrated coastal viewpoints.
We have not yet verified a bookable operator and price for
this one, so we are not quoting either.
Board a purpose-built whale watching vessel directly from Newcastle Harbour for an intimate encounter with humpback and southern right whales on their annual east-coast migration. One of Australia's most spectacular natural spectacles, right off your ship's bow.
Book itNewcastle Whale Watching CruiseAUD 95 per person (about $69)
Cruise to the uninhabited Broughton Island — the jewel of Port Stephens Marine Park — for guided snorkelling over pristine coral gardens teeming with wobbegong sharks, gropers and loggerhead turtles. Australia's east coast at its most untouched.
Book itPort Stephens Small Group Guided Snorkel Tour with GearAUD 90 per person (about $65)
Savour award-winning Mediterranean cuisine at Rustica, perched on the Newcastle foreshore with sweeping panoramas over Newcastle Beach. This is sun-drenched, locally sourced luxury dining at its most effortlessly stylish.
We have not yet verified a bookable operator and price for
this one, so we are not quoting either.
Your day in NewcastleNothing picked yet — tick what you fancy
$0for two, booked direct
Now plan the rest of it
You know what to do on the day. Here is the trip it belongs to —
each one opens as a whole plan, not a list: where to fly in, every port, what it runs.