Nelson Bay is a suburb of the Port Stephens local
government area in the Hunter Region of New
South Wales, Australia. Nelson Bay is located on a
bay of the same name on the southern shore of
Port Stephens about 60 kilometres by road north-
east of Newcastle, its nearest rail link. At the 2011
census, Nelson Bay had a population of 5,396. It is
a major tourism centre, particularly for dolphin
and whale watching, surfing, diving, fishing and
other recreational aquatic activities.