OPAL CARD TRAVEL: A visit to Nelson Bay using a train and bus

In this video I give a description on how to travel from Sydney Central or Gosford to Nelson Bay in the Port Stephens area by train and bus using an Opal card. You can also use your credit or debit card. Visa, Mastercard and Amex cards are also accepted on the Opal system.
The timetable for train from Central to Newastle Interchange:
transportnsw.i...
Bus timetable from Newcastle Interchange to Nelson Bay:
transportnsw.i...
Link to Port Stephens Coaches:
www.pscoaches....
Link to the ferry to Tea Gardens:
theoriginaltea...

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

Update: In the video, I mistakenly said trains leave Central for Newcastle every hour. They actually depart every half hour. Express trains leave hourly, and about half an hour later, a train making all stops departs for Newcastle Interchange. I prefer the express, but the all-stations train only adds about 20 minutes to the journey. Here's a link to the timetable: transportnsw.info/routes/details/intercity-trains/ccn/02CCN Cheers Kerry

[@cecilia8957]

Loving your videos....this one made me decide that my next holiday as Nelson Bay.... I've never been there...thank you

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

@@cecilia8957 Thanks Cecilia for your feedback. I'm sure you'll enjoy a holiday in the Port Stevens area. About 18 years ago myself and my partner rented a house on the beach at Anna Bay. IMMIC we payed around $300 for the whole week. I'd hate to think what the same house would cost for a week now.

[@davidcartwright5591]

Great video . I did a round trip one day from Tahmoor to Newcastle using my $2.50 Opal Card . It was a 500 Km round trip , took me about 14 hrs . My wife said I was mad , but I reckon you’d be mad not to do it .

[@alexwhite2265]

thanks, Mr. public transport and card hacks u put a smile on my face might do this trip 1 day because nelson bay i really enjoy last time I was up there

[@JohnForster-y2p]

Very much enjoy your videos Kerry, thank you.

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

Thanks for your positive feedback John. Cheers Kerry

[@MichaelSwinhoe]

We go to Fingal bay every year in January to get over the Christmas holidays with the outlaws. unfortunately this year we had to bail due to the huge storm. but we had 4 beautiful days there. love nelson bay for food and shopping.

[@sorayajaffarian7880]

Thanks so much . I enjoy that. 👍Sydney Wolli creek 🚃🚌

[@realjohnboxall]

Ha. I grew up in Shoal Bay. Couldn't wait to get out of the place. Thanks for sharing your wanderings.

[@carolinebussellwalking]

Watched Berry and Nelson Bay videos, great travels, thankyou

[@Terry-y2r]

Kerry, your trips have convinced me to do more public transport trips using my Opal card. One trip I intend to do is go from Helensburgh to Bundeena. It will cost more than $2.50 because of the ferry ride between Cronulla and Bundeena. Approximate travel time time would be 1 hour 50 minutes on a weekday using trains and ferry. Yes I could drive there directly in 34 minutes. Cheers, Terry.

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

I once had friends who lived in Bundeena and I'd visit them regularly aboard the beautiful old wooden ferry from Gunnamatta Bay, Cronulla. Those ferries and the trip should be more recognized as a Sydney icon. While you're over in Bundeena, there's an Opal bus that runs from Bundeena to Maianbar and back. I've never been to Maianbar, so expect a video Central to Maianbar :) in the near future - unless you beat me to it :) . They accept Opal cards. The timetable is at www.maianbarbundeenabus.com/timetable.html Enjoy the trip. Cheers Kerry.

[@fairannie9]

What a delight to see you are off on another adventure 😊 At least if I do get a train to Newcastle interchange it wouldn't be so daunting now I've seen the lay of the land. Very much enjoyed Nelson Bay wanders. Pretty location. Thanks for your time and energy.

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

Thank you very much for your feedback, Annie. I do my best to show what a station like Newcastle Interchange looks like so that people know what's ahead if they're heading that way. I've come to realize that many of the people who watch my videos are seniors. And being a senior myself, I know how important toilets are on a trip. So now I plan to mention where the toilets are and how long it is between toilet stops in all my videos. Cheers, Kerry

[@kidoctane]

Awesome - just subscribed Recently retired and we were wondering how far our Gold Opal will take us. This channel is gold !!

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

Thanks for your feedback Kidoctane. The Opal card will take you to Bomaderry, Goulburn, Bathurst, Scone and Dungog. A Seniors card (CPE) will take you the rest of the way to the state border for another $2.50. Sydney to Broken Hill for $5? Yes! I've done it.

[@kidoctane]

@@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks Awesome to know. Now back to trip planning

[@mileslong2952]

Thanks mate. Interesting as always. I'm told the place is riddled with retirees. But unless you have mucho money , being a tourist destination, cost of goods and services would be sky high. Someone said the place could be described as 'Gods waiting room'.

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

I like the term 'newly wed or nearly dead' :) Nelson Bay is somewhat like Terrigal and The Entrance. Before international air travel became popular they were very popular holiday destinations. Now they have to compete with places like Bali for their visitor numbers. To make things worse, the cost of accommodation in these places has gone through the roof. I live here in Nambucca Heads. But this year I've seen a lot more visitors to the area compared with years gone by. My guess is the rise in airfares and the airlines cancelling flights, strikes etc. Coupled with the low Aussies dollar has encouraged people to holiday locally. Give it a year or two and everything will change again. Mars anyone :) Cheers Kerry.

[@andrewr2825]

Really like your channel Kerry - you’ve given me some ideas for a day or two travelling around! I’m considering doing Fassifern (my local station to Cessnock) out to Bathurst (overnight), back to Goulburn (overnight), Scone then home! Wouldn’t cost more than $10 on my Gold Opal! Keep ‘em coming mate. Cheers Andrew

[@TheVEUTE]

Very helpful. Nelson Bay is a great spot. Thank you.

[@SteveR100AU]

Thanks for your empowering blogs as a gold card pensioner I have begun to use your trips to “ get out of the house” . I am now researching how much an Opal gold / MyKi concession trip from Sydney to Melbourne would cost .

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

Hi Steve. As yet I've not done the trip you're planning but I have done the research and plan to do it before winter sets in. In this trip I make use of my Gold Opal, my Seniors card and my MyKi card.. The whole trip for just $9.50. Some of the timetable links on the page may need updating. Apologies for that. As soon as I type in a link, they'll change it! ☹ I hope my research helps. www.cardhacks.com.au/2019/09/30/seniors-travel-sydney-to-melbourne-for-25/ Enjoy your travels. Cheers Kerry.

[@irenemulcahy2495]

Newcastle and surrounds are certainly putting Sydney to shame with that interchange and clean and modern buses and drivers who actually speak.😅😅 thankyou for another wonderful day out.

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

Yes, I agree. It's obvious the plan is to turn Newcastle from what was once was an industrial city into a "Gateway to the Hunter Valley" They are doing a great job. The only ask from me is they build a sheltered walkway from the rail station to the bus station. Cheers Kerry.

[@antonybrennan]

I am really enjoying your videos and travel planning. Thanks for sharing. I’m planning to take a few of these trips.

[@damianeason666]

Loved the video. Next time you're here, would love to see you in our store at Charli Blue Collective in the Cinema Mall. Keep up the great work.

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

Thanks for the feedback, Damian. I Googled your website. Next time I'm in Nelson Bay I will certainly stop by! Cheers Kerry.

[@DonnaGlass-f4x]

Kerry, there's a trip you should consider, unless you've already done it, is this. Catch a train to either Campbelltown or MacCarthur, then board what they call the horse and cart, it takes you all the way to Moss Vale.

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

Is the "Horse and cart" a local nickname for the Campbelltown to Moss Vale train? I've caught it a few times. One of my favourite trips is to catch the H&C to Moss Vale then change for a bus over to Wollongong via Robertson, then train back to Sydney. So far, I've not made a video of the trip, but I have written directions on how to do the trip. www.cardhacks.com.au/2021/03/25/day-trip-sydney-to-wollongong-across-to-moss-vale-and-back-to-sydney/ Cheers Kerry

[@theoztreecrasher2647]

In my younger days I used to enjoy swanning around Europe on the railways and buses. At home here it's always been only self-drive. Not much in the way of discount public travel options out here in the sticks but, if there turns out to be some interval between being forced in closer to Health Facilities and entry to the Morgue Waiting Rooms, I'll have to research the Queensland options. 🤔 These trips of yours are perhaps not quite the Bernina Express to St Moritz but still a very nice way to enjoy a cheap day out. 😉😊

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

NSW has the CPE (Country Pensioner Excursion) ticket for seniors traveling outside the Opal area of the state. In Victoria, fares are as low a $4.5 for anywhere in the state. But so far there are few discounts for seniors (apart from half fare) in QLD outside the SE QLD 50 cent fare region. Hopefully, one day.. Cheers Kerry.

[@theoztreecrasher2647]

@@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks Thanks mate. Perhaps. When we get our separate NQ state - with the capital based in Weipa! 😜🙄😊

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

@@theoztreecrasher2647 😄

[@AO-oy4rf]

Recently came across your channel and saw this was on Nelson Bay and as I had a friend move there I was interested to have a looksey. I even thought I may have spotted her outside a cafe on your walks! Maybe maybe not - Dot?!

[@SherifRichman]

Love your videos! Keep it up!

[@gregessex1851]

I once did a trip to from Newcastle to Sydney when a freight train didn’t break down. I think it was 1987.

[@lionelmorris9461]

Hi Kerry I am enjoying your travels, I have done a couple around Sydney but now after following you it has given me an expanded view to what is available. I noted what suburb you said you came from did you grow up there and if you did by any chance play soccer in that area when you were a young bloke? Cheers

[@E36Paradise]

I thought you lived around Woy Woy or Gosford then found you live in Nambucca maybe you have two places of residence. I somehow stumbled onto your videos which has great content as I will give this info to my parents who do have the seniors card and gold opal card so that they can travel outside of Sydney

[@blueyonder1233]

I'm beginning to think he lives on the train.

[@williamhawkins69]

I’ve lived at port Stephens now for a year. While change from bus to train is reasonably short, the reverse is not always true. The bus arrives in Newcastle literally minutes after the train leaves and it’s then almost a full hour to the next train. I don’t understand why Port Stephens Coaches can’t coordinate the timetable better.

[@johnlang4198]

On weekdays, the trains to Newcastle Interchange are half-hourly.

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

Thanks John. I catch these trains and look at the timetable on a regular basis and still get it wrong! I've added an update to the comments. Cheers Kerry.

[@jake20419]

Awesome video, Kerry. Have you had a ride on the new CCN D set trains yet?

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

Yes, I have. There is something about the comfort of a V set seat., they're like sitting on a lounge compared with these new modern airline style seats in the CCN sets, but that's OK, the pop up/down table and charging facilities make up for it. My only real BIG complaint is they don't have Wi-Fi. Even trains in China and Russia now have Wi-Fi. ☹

[@jake20419]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@TrainsBusesAndCardHacksHaha, completely agree, would love to see wifi on board. Theoretically that’s something that could be added in the future to the current set so there might be a possibility? I’m going to miss the V sets and their plushy seats once they’re gone but it should be a while.😢

[@JohnJohn-ts6ux]

Thank you thank you very much sir, I appreciate what you're doing a lot, I will go to these trips soon, I just wondering are you from Lidcombe I saw you from someone if you are you know me you go to church and power walking you see me, thank you very much👍👌

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

Thanks John, for your feedback! I pass through Lidcombe regularly. But I've not got off the train and visited the suburb in years! I live here in Nambucca Heads. Cheers Kerry.

[@rosemarysmall5103]

I have just discovered your videos. This looks like a great trip. Do I understand correctly that the train from Sydney to Newcastle Interchange has toilets on board? However the bus to Nelson bay does not even though it takes 1.5 hours, but I suppose you can alight at one of those major stops where there would be toilets.

[@blueyonder1233]

A pie bar! 😋

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

And an excellent pie it was! Steak and pepper - yum!

[@TheBluebirdkev]

I would have thought you would have had Fish and Chips at the Fich Co op

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

@@TheBluebirdkev Good suggestion. I would have liked to have had lunch at the fish co-op. But I forgot it was there.

[@222jimrice]

Hello Kerry, What is the over all time from Sydney to Port Stephen’s including the train and bus. Thanks

[@steeleaquain]

u missed the best part of the Bay…Shoal bay….

[@TrainsBusesAndCardHacks]

That's OK. You've now given me a good excuse to head to Shoal Bay and make another video😀

[@beybladeking2772]

i feel great to have taxpayers pay for my trip, let the losers work harder

[@DonnaGlass-f4x]

Sounds like the bus is falling apart.

[@TheVEUTE]

Something wrong with your hearing!

[@ShaloinMonk2681]

How did you come to that conclusion?