Permits are available at the following outlets:
BP Service Station (Anna Bay) – 135 Gan Gan Road, ANNA BAY
BP Service Station (Salt Ash) – Corner Richardson and Nelson Bay Road, SALT ASH
Port Stephens Visitor Centre (Nelson Bay) – 60 Victoria Parade, NELSON BAY
Pearl Energy (Williamtown) – Corner Nelson Bay Road and Lavis Lane, WILLIAMTOWN
NPWS Hunter Coast Area Office (Nelson Bay) – 4154 Nelson Bay Road, ANNA BAY
Visitor Service Assistants and Rangers patrol the park to provide information to visitors and ensure all vehicles have valid permit. Fines apply for vehicles not displaying a valid BVP or breaching permit conditions.
Drive only on the waterfront – there’s 19 km of beach driving for you to enjoy between the Lavis Lane 4WD entry (Williamtown) and Gan Gan 4WD entry (Anna Bay).
Do not follow tracks off the beach or over the frontal dune. Keep your vehicle on the waterfront at all times
For dune driving adventures head to the Recreational Vehicle Area, just south of the Lavis Lane 4WD entry at Williamtown. There’s over 350 hectares of dunes for you to test out your vehicle and your driving skills.
Why can’t I drive or park on the frontal dune, grass or vegetation?
The frontal dune is an important barrier that protects Worimi cultural sites and the park from flooding during storms. In a healthy coastal environment, this dune would run for the entire length of the beach, but at WCL it is very fragmented due to damage from vehicles. Vehicle traffic on the dune, grass or vegetation causes severe erosion to the dune, eventually flattening it.
This results in sea water inundating areas which would normally be buffered by the dune, causing damage to cultural sites that are present in swale area and severe erosion. This potentially results in the WCL being temporarily closed to protect the cultural and natural values of the park, and for visitor safety (as was the case following storms in 2012 & 2015).
A lot of work has been done to repair and rehabilitate this frontal dune. Keeping vehicles off the dune gives it the best possible chance to rebuild and rehabilitate.
Why are vehicles only allowed on Stockton Beach waterfront or in the recreational vehicle area?
The dune areas where driving is not permitted contain a large number and diversity of Aboriginal cultural sites. The shape, slope and stability of the dunes vary with the weather and are constantly changing, sometime on a daily basis. This unpredictability, the potential for damage to cultural sites, visitor safety issues, and impacts to species that inhabit the dunes are all important reasons why dune driving is limited to the RVA.
Vehicles previously driving over the frontal dune to reach the high dunes in the northern section of the park, has eroded and completely destroyed the frontal dune in some places. The frontal dune is an important natural barrier to protect the park from flooding and damage to cultural sites, during major storms. The demise of this dune resulted in significant flooding damage to Worimi cultural sites, and the park being closed following storms in 2012 and 2015.
Since this time, staff have been repairing and rehabilitating the dune across the entire length of the park.
The dune driving area provided at the southern end of the park (Recreational Vehicle Area), is located in an area where impacts on Worimi Cultural Sites and the frontal dune are minimal.
Why can’t I drive or park on the beach, left of the Gan Gan 4WD track at Birubi?
Vehicles have recently been excluded from driving and parking on the beach at Birubi, to improve public safety in this area.
This small stretch of beach attracts large numbers of pedestrians including dog walkers, families with small children and commercial operators. It also adjoins the designated surf lifesaving patrolled swimming area and allowing vehicles into this area is a significant public safety risk.
People have over 22km of waterfront driving south of the Gan Gan 4WD entry to the Lavis Lane 4WD entry, along with over 350 hectares of dune driving in the Recreational Vehicle Area, south of Lavis Lane.
But I’ve always driven and parked there. Why the change now?
These improvements to public safety are being carried out in accordance with the Worimi Conservation Lands Plan of Management, which is currently being implemented.
The plan identified that high numbers of vehicles and pedestrians in this small (600m) area is a significant public safety risk, and that for improved safety, vehicles would be excluded from this area.
The WCL Board of Management consulted widely and worked with interested parties to develop a management plan that provides a balance between user groups.
Why can’t I drive on the waterfront south of the Lavis Lane 4WD entry?
Vehicles are not permitted on the beach front south of the Lavis Lane 4WD entry for 3 very good reasons.
- Looking after threatened birds.
Migratory shorebirds from the nearby internationally significant Hunter Wetlands visit this specific stretch of beach to rest and feed. Other threatened birds that favour this stretch of beach are pied oystercatchers and little terns. Vehicle traffic is a major threat to these birds.
- Rebuilding the frontal dune
The frontal dune in this area has been eroded and destroyed by many years of vehicle traffic. The dune here is in much worse condition than elsewhere in the park. A lot of work has been done to rehabilitate the dune. Removing vehicles from this area will assist with the rehabilitating this important barrier.
- Staying in the park
This section of waterfront runs into the southern boundary of the park. It adjoins the council managed beach that does not allow driving. The fence stops vehicles from illegally driving onto the adjoining council beach and assists in keeping visitors in the park.
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