Live like a local in Port Stephens

Been to Sydney but never headed north? Port Stephens is like an upmarket version of Paihia with the heat of Fiji and a quietly impressive food scene that’s big on seafood and fresh local produce. An easy two-anda-half hour drive from the city, it’s well worth tacking a weekend here on to your next shopping trip across the Ditch.

COFFEE AND A BUN

With a mighty fine selection of single origin brews from Kenya, Ethiopia and Ecuador, Two Bobs Bakery is the place to start your day. If you’re into good bread, you can’t go past this unassuming little spot on Yacaaba St in Nelson Bay. Just follow your nose and you’ll quickly find not only great coffee but some of the best in fresh, dense, doughy loaves. Absolute sourdough pros, Two Bobs also serve up a good bun’s favourite thing to take a dip in; hot, hearty soup.

LUNCH

You may be looking to lighten up after a bread-heavy start — and you’ll find it in the incredibly fresh local produce at Little Beach Boathouse. As close as you can get to the water without being on a boat or swimming in it, this white and bright cafe is built right on the shore’s edge at Little Beach in Nelson Bay.

Their house-cured Atlantic salmon salad served with goats cheese and a sharp yuzu dressing is the perfect dish to counter the midday Port Stephens heat. But you’d be missing out if you didn’t add to that a round of fresh local rock oysters, served with shiso and a drip of bright chive and cucumber dressing.

Still hungry? If you’re after something heavier to send you into a siesta, the Boathouse also has some heartier fare. Their crispy pork belly with salt and pepper prawns and a pear and vanilla jam is a delicious twist on the old surf and turf.

DINNER

From fat prawns to sweet little local oysters and beautiful fresh fish, there’s plenty of very good seafood about in Port Stephens. But the ultimate place to try it has to be Rick Stein at Bannisters. From clean, delicate sashimi to sweet, Singapore-style spanner crab — literally a cracker of a dish that will send red sauce spattering across white table cloths — a trip to Port Stephens is not complete without a meal here.

It’s also a beautiful spot to watch the sun go down. From a lofty cliffside perch in the recently refurbished hotel you’ll find panoramic views of the ocean framed by the curling branches of Aussie gum trees.

DRINKS

For a little slice of the Italian seaside meets old-school Aussie surf club, Shoal Bay Country Club is the hippest new spot in this laidback coastal town.

Pull up a bleached rattan stool, pick a too-easy-to-drink cocktail from their fruity selection and watch the sunkissed crowds roll in — word on the street is this place has also cemented itself as a hot local haunt after the sun goes down.

Set up for lunch, dinner and beyond, SBCC is an Instragram-worthy destination of pastel pinks, white pillars, a peppermint 50s style bar and drinks frothing with fresh fruit pulp and herbacious sprigs.

— Rebecca Blithe