Booking choice: Unlimited sandboarding, from $28 per person. Check dates Tour details
The dunes behind Stockton Beach are the largest moving coastal sand dunes in the Southern Hemisphere, NSW National Parks says, and they are not a park you just wander into with a car. They belong to the Worimi people, who co-manage them with NSW National Parks, and driving on them needs a permit.
The easy way in is a tour. Four kinds run here: unlimited sandboarding, a 4WD beach tour with pipi digging, guided quad bikes, and the dune slot on the day trips from Sydney. Here is how to choose.
The quick answer
For the most time on the sand, book unlimited sandboarding from Anna Bay at $28: you stay as long as you like. The Birubi 4WD tour (75 minutes, $40) adds a beach drive and pipi digging. Quad bikes start at Williamtown and are strictly 16 and over. Wear sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen; quads need shoes. The tours carry the beach permit for you.
Where are the Stockton sand dunes?
Behind Stockton Beach, which runs 32 km from Stockton, north of Newcastle, to Anna Bay in Port Stephens. The tours start at Anna Bay or Williamtown, at the Port Stephens end.
The beach is up to 1 km wide in places and the dunes rise over 30 m, Wikipedia's Stockton Beach entry notes; at the Stockton end there are no dunes at all. The sand moves north by about 4 m a year.
Most of it sits inside the Worimi Conservation Lands: Worimi National Park (1,826 ha), Worimi State Conservation Area (1,042 ha) and Worimi Regional Park (1,568 ha). Worimi middens of pipi and whelk shells, up to 12,000 years old, appear and vanish as the wind moves the sand. You will also see RAAF jets: the beach is less than 3.5 km from RAAF Base Williamtown.
Which Stockton dune tour should you book?
Unlimited sandboarding for the most time on the sand, the Birubi 4WD for a short taste with the beach, quads for adults who want speed. From Sydney, the day tour fits a sandboarding run between dolphins and koalas.
All five options side by side. Times on the sand come from each listing's itinerary:
| Tour | Starts | On the dunes | Who can ride | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited sandboarding | Anna Bay lower car park, James Paterson St | As long as you like, after a 10-minute 4WD ride | Wide range of ages; 3 and under free | $28 |
| Birubi Beach 4WD | Anna Bay, James Paterson St | About 20 minutes on the beach, 45 to 50 minutes sandboarding | No age limit listed | $40 |
| Quad bike ride | Murrook Culture Centre, Williamtown | 1 hour, grassland then dunes | Strictly 16 and over, at least 130 cm | $82 |
| Day tour from Sydney | Sydney | 4WD and sandboarding slot from 2:15pm, coach leaves 3:30pm | Not for pregnant travellers | $172 |
| Budget day trip | Sydney, 812 George St | 2 hours' free time at Stockton Beach; 4x4 and sandboarding from $40 pp paid on the day | Moderate fitness | $96 |
A 4WD drops you on a private patch of dunes with sit-down, stand-up and pro boards, shade and water. No clock: ride until your legs give out.
Explore unlimited sandboarding Tour detailsWhat is unlimited sandboarding at Anna Bay like?
You meet at the Anna Bay lower car park, ride 10 minutes by 4WD to a private sandboarding area, get a safety lesson, then slide for as long as you want.
There are three boards: sit-down boards for kids and first-timers (two people can share one for a tandem run), basic stand-up boards, and pro stand-up boards for anyone who already snowboards. The slopes come in different sizes, so beginners and show-offs each get their own hill.
The ticket includes the 4WD transfer both ways, instruction, board hire, a 600 ml bottle of water and goggles for windy days. There is a shaded picnic area with tables and chairs, and you bring your own food. No hotel pickup. The listing rules it out for pregnancy, back or heart problems and recent surgery, but anyone can ride out as a spectator and sit in the shade.
What happens on the Birubi Beach 4WD tour?
A red, air-conditioned 4WD drives you 2 km down Birubi Beach to dig for pipis, then into the dunes for 45 to 50 minutes of sandboarding. It takes 75 minutes in all and runs rain, hail or shine.
The guide shows you how to find pipis, the small clams that live under the wet sand at the waterline, and you get about 20 minutes on the beach. Watch the sky too: the listing says low-flying RAAF fighter jets go past at times. The national parks fee, the board and water are included; pickup is not, so you meet at James Paterson Street in Anna Bay.
About those pipis. NSW fisheries rules allow pipis to be taken only as fishing bait, and they may not be carried more than 50 m from the high-water mark. On the tour you dig and look; dinner comes from somewhere else.
Beach drive, pipi digging and sandboarding in 75 minutes, park fee included. Runs in any weather.
Check dates for the Birubi Beach 4WD tourHow old do you have to be to ride a quad bike on the Stockton dunes?
16. The quad ride from the Murrook Culture Centre is strictly 16 and over, riders under 130 cm cannot take part, and every rider signs a waiver sent by email and text before the day.
The ride lasts an hour: a briefing on how to handle the bike, then single-file behind the guide, first over grassland and then up steeper and steeper dunes. The listing says it suits beginners through to experienced riders. A helmet is supplied.
- Getting there: the transfer runs on Saturdays only. Every other day you drive to the Murrook Culture Centre, 2163 Nelson Bay Road, Williamtown, and arrive 30 minutes before your session.
- Not allowed: bare feet, alcohol or drugs, smoking, vaping, drones and pets.
- Weather: tours run all year; in extreme weather you can reschedule or take a full refund.
Travelling with younger kids? Unlimited sandboarding and the Birubi 4WD tour take families.
An hour on a quad across the biggest moving dunes in the Southern Hemisphere, with a guide in front and gear supplied. Riders 16 and over.
Explore the quad bike ride Tour detailsDo you need a permit for the Stockton sand dunes?
Only to drive. Every vehicle on the beach needs a Worimi Conservation Lands beach vehicle permit, and since 3 March 2026 these are sold online only. On a tour, the operator has it covered.
NSW National Parks sells four kinds: 3-day, annual, pensioner and Recreational Vehicle Area permits. Annual NSW National Park passes are not valid here. Vehicles enter by Lavis Lane at Williamtown or Gan Gan Road at Anna Bay, and the Worimi Conservation Lands team asks drivers to stay off the beach for an hour either side of high tide.
Two more rules from the same sources: the beach is unpatrolled and swimming is not advised, and the lands can close in poor weather or high fire danger. The Birubi tour includes the national parks fee, and the quad operator advertises exclusive access to its own dune area.
What should you wear for sandboarding and quad biking?
Light clothes you don't mind filling with sand, sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen. Quad riders need closed shoes.
- Sun first. There is no shade on the dunes apart from the picnic area, and the white sand throws the glare back up at you. The sandboarding listing asks for sunglasses, a hat and sunscreen.
- Clothes: shorts or light trousers and a T-shirt; long sleeves on a windy day, when the sand stings.
- Feet: shoes for the climb on a hot afternoon. For quads, bare feet are not allowed.
- Phones: a zip pocket or a bag. Sand gets into everything.
- Leave behind: drones, glass and pets (assistance dogs are fine on the sandboarding tour).
- After: a change of clothes in the car and a towel for the seats.
Sit-down, stand-up or pro boards, as long as you like on the dunes, with goggles and water included.
Check dates for unlimited sandboardingCan you do the Stockton dunes on a day trip from Sydney?
Yes, two ways: the full day tour includes 4WD and sandboarding with a dolphin cruise and the Koala Sanctuary, and the budget day gives you 2 hours' free time at the beach with sandboarding as a paid extra.
On the day tour from Sydney the 4WD and sandboarding slot starts at 2:15pm and the coach leaves Port Stephens at 3:30pm, after the dolphin cruise and the koalas. That is about 5 hours in Port Stephens, from the 10:30am cruise, for three activities, all included. It suits a traveller with no car and one free day.
The budget day trip is cheaper at $96, but the 4x4 and sandboarding (from $40 pp) and the camel ride (from $50 pp) are paid on the day. If you can stay a night, do it: unlimited sandboarding, the quads and the dolphin sail all fit into one local day for less.
No car, one free day: a dolphin cruise in Nelson Bay, the Koala Sanctuary and 4WD sandboarding, all in the price. Lunch is on you.
Explore the day tour from Sydney Tour detailsFrequently asked questions
Is sandboarding at Stockton suitable for kids?
Yes. The unlimited sandboarding listing says it suits a wide range of ages, sit-down boards are easy to learn and children 3 and under go free. Quads are different: riders must be 16 or over.
How long does sandboarding take?
On the unlimited tour there is no time limit after the 10-minute 4WD ride. The Birubi tour gives 45 to 50 minutes of sandboarding within 75 minutes.
Can you see the Sygna shipwreck from the dunes?
The stern of the MV Sygna, a bulk carrier that ran aground in a 1974 storm, lies off the Stockton end of the beach, about 8.8 km from the southern end. It is best seen from the Stockton breakwall, not from the Anna Bay tours.
Do the dune tours run in the rain?
The Birubi 4WD tour runs rain, hail or shine. The quad ride may be rescheduled in extreme weather, with a full refund as the alternative, and the lands themselves can close in poor weather or high fire danger.
Ready to book
Choose your Port Stephens tour
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Unlimited Sandboarding on the Dunes
- 10-minute 4WD transfer each way
- Sit-down, stand-up and pro boards
- Instruction and supervision
Birubi Beach 4WD Tour with Sandboarding
Beach drive, pipi digging, then sandboarding. Park fee included.
Worimi Sand Dune Quad Bike Ride
An hour on a quad across the biggest dunes. Riders 16 and over only.
