New South Wales

Port Stephens

Sahara-sized dunes, right next to a bay full of dolphins

This region holds two landscapes that shouldn't really work side by side, Stockton Bight's 32 kilometres of moving sand dunes giving way to Nelson Bay's calm water and one of the largest resident dolphin populations in the country. Quad bikes and sandboards make the most of the dunes, while cruise boats rarely come back empty from the bay. Climb Tomaree Head for the view that ties it all together, dunes one way, boats the other. Desert and ocean, somehow sharing the same postcode.