willm1

I spent a lot of time in Port Stephens in my late teens sand boarding, body boarding and just chilling at the beaches with mates. Iv lived in a few countries plus done my far share of travelling but iv always had a soft spot for the Bay. I must say the beaches at shoal bay and surrounding areas are some of the cleanest you will ever find. When we moved back closer to home from living on the Gold Coast for many years we chose Shoal Bay because it has the best of both worlds with the bay on one side and surf beaches on the other, perfect if you have small kids. The public school has good reviews by locals and we love the fact that it actually looks like a school should with massive trees and a big playground not a cement jungle like many of the newer schools. The Bay does have enough places to grab a beverage with mates etc but if want to listen to 'doof doof' till 5am then you will have to make a mission to Newcastle for that.
Shoal Bay does get busier in the holiday season and some people cry about it but we have never found it to be an issue, i just think those people have never lived anywhere with any traffic haha. 90% of the tourist are families and generally respect the place so it doesn't bother us at all when they come, we actually welcome the tourist because it makes you feel like your on holidays too.
Shoal Bay is an older suburb with quite a few older beachy shacks lining the streets. Our house was finished in July 2016 and im pretty sure its still the newest in the street but we have noticed lately that there has been a few knock downs and quite a few sales in in the street.
Shoal Bay is still undeveloped but it seems that people are starting to realise the potential here.
Shoal Bay is a very relaxed place to live and a great place for people who want to be surrounded by nature with beautiful beaches only walking distance away.