Gymea Lily

Port Stephens has long drawn visitors for its dolphins and dunes, but the golf here is a genuine reason to make the trip. Gymea Lily sits in Nelson Bay, the laid-back waterfront hub of the Port Stephens region about 2.5 hours north of Sydney, where the Hunter Valley meets the coast and the landscape shifts between sandy heathland, spotted gum forest, and the blue expanse of the bay itself.

The course takes its name from the gymea lily — that dramatic native plant with its towering red flower spike, native to the sandstone country of coastal NSW. That botanical identity hints at what you'd expect underfoot: classic Australian heathland-style terrain, with the sandy soils, native scrub, and open skies that tend to produce courses with firm, fast conditions and a rawness that rewards players who think around the ground.

Nelson Bay is a regional destination rather than a touring stop, which gives Gymea Lily the character of a genuine community course — well-used, unhurried, and rooted in the local golf fabric rather than curated for outside prestige.