We arrived at Nelson Bay and parked the car at a recommended free car park. A short walk then to the public wharves where the ferries depart. We were to board the ferry Simba II, one of the newer ferries.
We departed about 11.20 out into the waters of Port Stephens. An alarm was sounding and the Captain quickly stopped the ferry, trying not to look worried. We were underway shortly after but the boat didn't feel comfortable (my assessment). The trip took 1.5 hours 1/2 hour longer than advertised. To me, I felt the boat was overloaded, upstairs was licensed to carry 20 passengers, we counted 30 . We weren't sure about the main deck but the duckboard at the stern was under water.
Firstly , crossed the water of Port Stephens into the mouth of the Myall River, then tied up at Tea Gardens. We disembarked then wandered the streets of Tea Gardens. We found a nice little café called "Mumm's" near the "Singing Bridge" where we enjoyed a Devonshire Tea while watching pelicans preening themselves and snoozing etc.
We were scheduled to catch the ferry back to Nelson Bay at 2.30 pm. When we arrived at the wharf we were given the choice of two ferries - The Simba II or an older wooden ferry. We chose the latter. We had a quite enjoyable trip back to Nelson Bay, even the crew seemed more professional. The return trip was just under the hour.
We disembarked at the wharf, walked back to the car, then headed back to the van. Evon did a load of washing then we had Happy Hour, tea, telly and bed.
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