Tea Gardens is a great area to base yourself for a week of wandering.  Tea Gardens is located on the Myall River and is just over the Singing Bridge from Hawks Nest.

During your stay, you should visit the Myall Lakes National Park.  Dramatic headlands separate 40 kilometres of white sandy beaches.  You should experience the Mungo Brush Rainforest Walking Track.  This is a half hour stroll through littoral rainforest, cabbage tree palms, paperbarks, ferns and strangler vines.  It is also a birdwatching paradise, with regent bowerbirds, golden whistlers and tawny frogmouts some of over 280 bird species found in the National Park.

Another walk is the Sandy Point to Dark Point/Little Gibber Loop.  This is a place of giant sand dunes.  Set amongst the dunes are the Aboriginal middens.  The site is fenced to protect the middens from damage.  However, you can walk along the northern side of the fence to the interpretive sign.  Fresh water in the dunes and abundant food has resulted in massive accumulations of shells, bones and stone cutting toods over thousands of years.  The middens are protected and removal of items is forbidden.

Port Stephens is well known for dolphin watching with nearly 200 resident dolphins.  Cruise vessels leave Tea Gardens but of course you can often sight the dolphins frolicking in the surf and catching waves.  Cruise bookings are essential.

May to November each year is whale watching season with the migration of the whales north to warmer waters for the birth of their young.  Whale watching cruises leave Tea Gardens.  Cruise bookings are essential.

Tea Gardens and Hawks Nest is also privileged to have an urban koala population, but unfortunately it is classified as endangered. Koalas are more active at night.  The Swamp Mahogany is the preferred food tree for the koals along with Blackbutts, Paperbarks and the Flooded Gum.  The Koala Reserve on the northern side of the Singing Bridge offers a good opportunity to spot a koala.  However, Yalinbah Street in Tea Gardens and the Magic Square in Hawks Nest are also favoured locations.

Of course you can just relax with a gentle walk along Bennetts Beach and Jimmys Beach at Hawks Nest.

For the 4WD enthusiast there are 4WD access routes onto the beach off Mungo Brush Road.  Beach permits are required.

For those who like a round of golf, Hawks Nest Golf Club has a superb 18 hole all weather course.  As an indiation of the quality of this course, Hawks Nest Golf Club will host the NSW PGA Trainee Championships for the next three years.

The Tea Gardens Country Club and Tea Gardens Bowling Club are located next to the Tea Gardens Club Inn Motel.  The Tea Gardens Country Club has great facilities including bingo on Monday and Friday mornings and raffles on Friday and Sunday evenings.  Bowlers are welcome to have a "roll".  However, it is worthwhile contacting the Bowling Club to ensure that there are no competitions scheduled during your stay.