Port Stephens Wildlife Adventures: Crocodiles, Sharks and Rays on Our Australian Road Trip
- eatcleanhealthandd
- 12 hours ago
- 7 min read
Eat Clean, Health and Dream | Melbourne to Brisbane with Teenagers
After a long day exploring Sydney, followed by a spontaneous drive north, we had ended up at Ingenia Holidays Middle Rock, One Mile, Port Stephens.
And what a find it had been.
We woke the following morning to brilliant sunshine streaming through the windows of our studio cabin.
After the rain, darkness and tiredness of the previous few days, it felt like a completely different Australia.
The boys were rested.
I was rested.
And, for once, nobody was rushing to get out of bed, despite me getting up as usual at 6 am, making most of time to myself for a coffee and some writing.
A holiday park we could happily have stayed longer
Our studio cabin had been perfect for the night.
A double bed.
Bunk beds.
A little kitchenette.
Bathroom.
Everything self-contained.
It had been exactly what we needed.
In fact, I'd happily have stayed longer.
As we walked towards reception to check out, we noticed the swimming pools we'd missed the previous evening.
Typical.
If we'd had another day, the boys would definitely have been in there as would I.
The location was beautiful, and the receptionist was incredibly friendly and helpful, particularly with the boys.
It's also one of those places where I could genuinely see Craig and I staying without the kids.
Sometimes you find accommodation that works brilliantly for families but feels a little too "family holiday" for adults.
This wasn't really like that.
It had a lovely setting and a relaxed feel that would suit us just as well on our own.
"Where should we go next?"
Before leaving, I asked the receptionist if there was anywhere locally she'd particularly recommend for the boys.
I'd already noticed various signs and advertisements for attractions as we'd driven through the previous evening, but local knowledge is always worth asking for.
She immediately recommended Port Stephens Animal Adventures Wildlife Refuge:
And, of course, Albie had already spotted it himself.
So there was really no debate.
Car loaded.
Bags in the boot.
And off we went.
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect.
But within minutes of turning into the car park, I realised we'd found somewhere very special.
Port Stephens Animal Adventures Wildlife Refuge
Wow.
That's probably the simplest way I can describe it.
Walking in, the place was huge.
And for an 11-year-old boy who loves animals?
It was basically heaven.
There were crocodiles.
Parrots and macaws.
Reptiles.
Snakes.
Eels.
Rays.
Sharks.
Fish.
And plenty more.
Albie was immediately in his element.
Archie decided he'd had enough wildlife adventure for one day and opted to stay in the car and catch up on some much-needed teenage sleep.
Fair enough.
So this became an Albie and Mum adventure.
And what an adventure it was.
Meeting a baby saltwater crocodile
One of the highlights was getting the opportunity to hold a nine-month-old saltwater crocodile.
Yes.
Actually hold one.
Albie was fascinated.
We were lucky enough to spend time with one of the keepers, who I believe was Catrice, although apologies if I've got your name or spelling wrong.
She was brilliant.
She knew so much about crocodiles and was fantastic at answering Albie's endless questions.
And there were plenty of them.
How big do they get?
How strong are they?
How old can they live?
What do they eat?
What happens as they grow?
It was one of those experiences where you could see the learning happening without him even realising he was learning.
And that's exactly the sort of education I love.
Not sitting in a classroom.
Not reading it from a workbook.
Actually experiencing it.
Albie and the animals
And given the opportunity to hold something?
Albie didn't hesitate.
Reptiles.
Snakes.
All sorts of creatures.
And then the birds.
He even let the macaws land on him.
Including one that perched on his head.
Which made me laugh because apparently it's not just his chicken at home, Burnt Omelette who is allowed to sit on Albie's head, shoulders or back.
The animals seem to know he's a willing participant!
His confidence around animals was brilliant to watch.
There was curiosity rather than fear.
I remember one of his first ever teachers saying to me years ago, your son reminds me of a young Gerald Durrell and it definitely rings true as he has got older.
And even when something made him slightly nervous, he was willing to take his time and try again.
Into the water with sharks and rays
Then came the bit I knew he would love.
It was time to get changed into his togs and get into the water with the rays and sharks.
Now, Albie was absolutely up for this.
But I think even he underestimated what it would feel like to have a leopard shark swimming towards you and brushing past your legs and that’s exactly what ‘loopy’ their leopard shark did.
It took him a little while to relax.
There was that initial:
*"What's touching me?!"
And once he did?
He was completely at home.
Watching him become comfortable in the water, surrounded by rays and sharks, was one of my favourite moments of the entire trip.
Would it have been even better to experience these animals in the wild?
Absolutely.
But realistically, at 11 years old, this gave Albie an incredible opportunity to get close to animals he might otherwise never have been able to experience safely.
And that's what travel is about for me.
Creating opportunities.
Giving my kids these experiences.
Letting them see, touch and learn about the natural world.
And hopefully making them care about protecting it.
Rock Steady was calling…
Having seen the huge saltwater crocodile Rock Steady, Albie immediately decided he wanted to do the swim experience with the big croc.
I suspect if I'd booked it in advance, he would have been straight in there.
Unfortunately, it wasn't something we'd planned.
Another reason why sometimes booking everything isn't necessarily the answer.
You can leave a little room for spontaneity yet then occasionally discover something you absolutely want to come back and do.
So I've now got a very good reason to return.
Potentially with Craig.
And probably with a much more organised booking!
A Huge Thank You
The whole experience was made even better by the staff.
Catrice, Jason and Chloe were all brilliant.
They were knowledgeable, friendly and genuinely seemed to enjoy sharing the animals and their knowledge with visitors.
So a huge thank you to all three of you.
You absolutely made Albie's day.
And, if I'm being honest, probably mine too.
I also came away with what they call a Mega ticket and a definite thought:
If I'm back in the area with Craig within the next year, we're coming back.
Meanwhile… Archie was sleeping
While Albie and I were busy meeting crocodiles, birds, snakes, sharks and rays…
Archie was doing what teenagers do best.
Sleeping.
In the car.
Honestly, after the previous few days, I couldn't blame him.
He'd had enough.
And that was another reminder that travelling with teenagers means accepting that not everyone needs to do everything.
Sometimes one child wants an animal encounter and the other wants a few hours of sleep.
Both are perfectly valid yet sometimes as a parent frustrating.
Back on the road
Eventually, it was time to get moving again.
The plan was to continue north and break the journey towards Byron Bay into manageable sections.
I'd been so impressed with the holiday park we'd stayed at in Middle Rock that I'd decided to book another.
This time we were heading for North Haven.
And again, it turned out to be a great choice.
The drive north was another lovely section of highway.
As we travelled, I was already thinking ahead to another trip.
I told Craig later that if and when, we do this drive together from Sydney to Brisbane, there are so many places I'd want to stop for:
Fishing.
Exploring.
Chilling by the water.
Finding little beaches.
Taking our time.
The boys, however, might not have been quite as enthusiastic about all of those stops!
They're definitely more interested in beaches, wildlife and active adventures than simply stopping somewhere because Mum and Craig, think the view is beautiful.
North Haven
As we approached North Haven, the scenery changed again.
We drove alongside the water, passing little groups of shops, cafés and eateries.
It looked like a lovely waterside community.
And then we pulled into North Haven Holiday Village:
Our accommodation this time was a two-bedroom cabin.
And Archie was delighted.
Finally.
His own room.
No more sharing a studio room with Mum or his brother.
The teenage luxury he'd been waiting for had arrived.
The cabin was spacious enough for us to spread out, and because we'd arrived while it was still daylight, we had time to actually enjoy the surroundings rather than simply arriving, eating and collapsing into bed.
One last bit of energy
We unpacked.
Had a sort out.
And then headed outside.
There were swing parks and places for the boys to explore around the holiday park, as well as a public park directly across the road.
It was one of those lovely little pauses in a road trip.
No big attraction.
No itinerary.
No rushing.
Just time outside.
The boys played.
We wandered.
And gradually the daylight started disappearing.
The sun gave way to darkness.
Time to head back to the cabin.
Time to make some food.
And time to settle in for the night.
Because tomorrow we'd be back on the road.
Further north.
And with every kilometre, our Melbourne-to-Brisbane road trip was becoming less about getting somewhere and much more about everything we were discovering along the way.
From a baby saltwater crocodile to sharks and rays, from a teenage boy sleeping in the car to a cabin with his own bedroom, this was turning into exactly the sort of family adventure I'd hoped we'd have.
And we still had a long way to go.
Next stop: further up the east coast, towards Byron Bay…
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