Tea Gardens: the Great Lakes region's southern gateway on the Myall River
Sitting where the Myall River meets Port Stephens, Tea Gardens is a quieter riverside town linked to its twin, Hawks Nest, by the Singing Bridge, with a slower pace than the bigger holiday towns further north.
A name nobody can quite agree on
Nobody knows for certain how Tea Gardens got its name. One account ties it to an unsuccessful attempt by the Australian Agricultural Company, granted vast acreage in the area in 1826, to cultivate tea, reportedly using Chinese assistants brought in as advisors. Another, equally plausible theory points to the abundance of native tea-trees along the riverbank. Either way, the town grew up around the timber trade, with steam-powered droghers hauling logs down the Myall River from the lakes system to be loaded onto coastal ships bound for Sydney and Newcastle.
For decades, the only way across the river to Hawks Nest was by punt and later a vehicular ferry, established in 1928. That changed in 1974 with the opening of the Singing Bridge, named for the distinctive sound the wind makes through its structure, which finally gave both towns a direct road link.
Top things to do
- Walk Marine Drive along the Myall River, past the children's park and swimming pool to the Singing Bridge.
- Take a dolphin or river cruise on Port Stephens, several of which depart from or pass by Tea Gardens.
- Visit the Lions Park Lookout, a short drive north-west of town, for elevated views over both Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest to the headlands at the mouth of Port Stephens.
- Ride the historic timber ferries that still run between Tea Gardens and Nelson Bay across Port Stephens.
- Fish from the riverbank or a chartered boat on the Myall River, a popular spot for bream and other estuary species.
Good to know
Getting there: Tea Gardens sits around 10 kilometres off the Pacific Highway, roughly 220 kilometres north of Sydney, with the Singing Bridge providing the direct road link to Hawks Nest.
Visitor information: A local visitor information centre operates in Tea Gardens. For current location and hours, contact the Barrington Coast visitor network or call the main Forster centre on 1800 802 692 for regional visitor information.
Pace of life: Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest are popular with retirees and long-stay holidaymakers; don't expect a big nightlife scene, and do expect a relaxed one.
Nearby
Seal Rocks
North along the coast, a small village built around a 19th-century lighthouse.
Visit Seal Rocks →Heritage & Culture
The Worimi history of this stretch of coast and its settler-era river trade.
Heritage & Culture →Myall Lakes
The Myall River flowing past Tea Gardens connects directly to the Ramsar-listed Myall Lakes upstream.
About the lakes →