Tea Gardens

Tea Gardens offers several specific ways to plan your trip: ferry rides between Nelson Bay and Tea Gardens, a changing art exhibition, and kayak tours on the Myall River. If you’re looking for a hotel in Tea Gardens, first consider whether you’d like your stay to focus more on the ferry ride, art or activities on the water. The experiences vary by type and timing: ferry schedules may change, and new installations along the Myall Riverside Art Walk are celebrated at the festival in October.

Ferry between Tea Gardens and Nelson Bay

The Original Tea Gardens Ferry offers daily return trips between Nelson Bay and Tea Gardens. As departure times may change, check the schedule for your planned visit. The fleet consists of historic vessels. During the trip, you can enjoy the views and may have the opportunity to spot dolphins, dingoes and seabirds. For planning your day, consider the schedule and the experience separately: departure times affect timing, while views and wildlife sightings are possible parts of the trip.

Art in Tea Gardens and along the Myall Riverside Art Walk

The Gallery in Tea Gardens presents a changing exhibition of artworks by artists from Tea Gardens, Hawks Nest and the Myall Coast. Paintings, drawings, sculptures, ceramics and jewellery are for sale. If you’re including art in your trip plans, you can distinguish between the current exhibition’s focus and the types of works on offer.

The Myall Riverside Art Walk extends across Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest. While the Gallery presents changing exhibitions, new Art Walk installations are celebrated each year in October at the Myall River Festival. The festival program may change; check event dates if you’d like to plan your trip around it.

Kayak tours and recreational activities

On the calm waters of the Myall River, Lazy Paddles offers kayak tours for dolphin watching. The tours are suitable for all ages. Unlike the ferry, whose daily return trips connect Nelson Bay and Tea Gardens, the focus here is on kayaking on the river. The choice therefore depends on whether you’d like to plan a ferry connection or a kayak tour with dolphin watching.

Tea Gardens Skate Park offers skating opportunities for beginners of all ages. It’s located on the main road leading into Tea Gardens. This is a different kind of recreational activity from the river tours: it’s about skating, not travelling on the water.

In the area around Tea Gardens, Moira Parade Reserve is located on the waterfront at Hawks Nest. A boat ramp there provides access to Myall Lake; the reserve also has a playground, barbecue area, picnic shelter and public toilets. The location is useful to note when planning: the reserve and its facilities are in Hawks Nest, while the skate park is in Tea Gardens. The water locations also differ: the boat ramp provides access to Myall Lake, while Lazy Paddles offers kayak tours on the Myall River.

Discover more destinations: Charlotte Bay, Elizabeth Beach, Boolambayte, Forster, Bulahdelah, Blueys Beach

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