Marina service
The Anchorage Marina by d'Albora
About
The Anchorage Marina by d'Albora at a glance
Premium protected marina behind two breakwalls at Corlette Point, adjoining The Anchorage Hotel & Spa whose restaurants and resort facilities berth holders can use. Around 90 serviced floating berths for boats of 7-40m with superyacht berthing up to 50m, fuel dock (diesel and premium unleaded), pump-out and five swing moorings.
Service area: Port Stephens
- Marina type
- full-service marina
- Operator
- d'Albora Marinas
- Region
- Port Stephens
- Water body
- Port Stephens
- Wet berths
- 90
- Maximum vessel
- 40 m
- Berth types
- casual berthing, permanent berthing, superyacht berths, swing moorings
Facilities and services
- fuel
- pump-out
- 24/7 security
- power & water
- wifi
- showers & laundry
- restaurant/cafe
- dockmaster service 7 days
- superyacht berths to 50m
- LPG & marine oils
- marina lounge
- resort pool/spa/gym access
- tour booking agent
- d'Albora reciprocal berthing
- 125A power
About The Anchorage Marina by d'Albora
The Anchorage Marina occupies Corlette Point on the southern shore of Port Stephens, a few minutes past the heads, wrapped behind two substantial breakwalls that turn an open bay into a millpond. It is that rare Australian marina built from the start as a resort adjunct: the berths sit directly beneath The Anchorage Hotel and Spa, the low-rise waterfront resort long known to Sydney boaters as Peppers Anchorage, and berth holders use the resort's restaurants, bars, pool and spa as though the marina were an extension of the lobby. The combination has made it the traditional finishing point for cruisers out of Sydney, roughly a day's sail north, and the home port for a local fleet that mixes game boats, cruising yachts and a growing number of superyachts. The hardware caught up with the setting between 2017 and 2019, when a two-year, six-million-dollar refurbishment replaced the docks with new Bellingham floating pontoons, renewed gangways, bathrooms and the boardwalk, and rebuilt the fuel wharf, works the marina trade press credited with putting Port Stephens on the international boating map for larger vessels. Around 90 berths now take boats from 7 to 40 metres, with capacity for superyacht berthing to 50 metres by arrangement, plus five swing moorings. The marina joined the d'Albora network, Australia's largest premium marina group, which added reciprocal berthing benefits for members across its eastern-seaboard locations. It is also an events marina: it has long supported Sail Port Stephens, the annual regatta that fills the bay each autumn, and visiting race crews treat it as regatta headquarters. For Port Stephens, a waterway famed for deep access, dolphins and island anchorages, The Anchorage is the full-service address that lets a visiting boat use the region without giving up any shore-side comfort.
Marina facilities
The berths number around 90 on floating Bellingham pontoons, taking vessels from 7 to 40 metres, with superyacht berthing to 50 metres arranged on application; every berth has power, with capacity up to 125 amps on the big berths, water and complimentary Wi-Fi, and berth rates bundle power, water and parking for one car. A dockmaster service runs seven days a week, staff meet arrivals, and security is handled by 24-hour video surveillance behind the gated breakwall precinct. The fuel dock, described after its 2019 rebuild as the most accessible in the district, runs a 30-metre fendered face with high and low-flow diesel and premium unleaded delivered through mark-free hoses; it opens seven days, and other times by prior arrangement. Black-water pump-out is available at the fuel dock, and LPG gas, marine oils and additives are sold there. Five swing moorings round out the on-water offer. Amenities include modern private bathrooms, a coin laundry, and a marina lounge with complimentary coffee and tea; ample free parking sits close to the docks. There is no haul-out or hardstand, consistent with the resort-marina model, but repairs and maintenance are organised through the office, and d'Albora's full-service boatyard at Nelson Bay Marina, with a 50-tonne travelift, lies a few kilometres away inside the port. The resort connection is the multiplier: berth holders access The Anchorage Hotel and Spa's dining rooms, bars, swimming pool, spa, sauna and gym, and the marina office can book whale-watching, sea-plane flights and Hunter Valley wine tours. Proof of insurance is required for all vessels, and casual berthing fills fast in peak periods, so booking ahead on 02 4981 4975 is advised; the marina monitors VHF. d'Albora members earn reciprocal berthing nights across the group's marinas, and fuel discounts apply under the membership program.
Local sailing knowledge
Port Stephens is one of the easiest big-water entries on the NSW coast: the heads between Yacaaba and Tomaree are deep, wide and lit, with no bar, and once inside, Corlette is simply the second bay on the southern shore, the marina's twin breakwalls visible from the channel. The only real cautions are the strong tidal streams off the headlands after big tides and the weekend traffic around Nelson Bay. The cruising ground beyond is the draw. Broughton Island and the Myall Lakes system lie to the north, the Karuah and Myall rivers wind into the port's western arms, and sheltered anchorages at Shoal Bay, Fingal Bay and Salamander Bay are all within an hour's motoring; dolphins are resident in the port and whales pass the heads in season. The marina's berth is arguably the best-protected in the port, which matters when an easterly swell wraps in. Ashore, Corlette is residential and quiet; Nelson Bay, the port's commercial centre with supermarkets, a bottle shop, tackle stores and the d'Albora boatyard, is a four-minute drive, and the resort next door covers dining if you would rather not leave the property. The marina acts as a booking agent for the region's headline experiences, whale-watching cruises, dolphin swims, Stockton Bight sand-dune tours and Hunter Valley transfers, and delivery skippers can be arranged for owners flying in or out of Newcastle Airport, about half an hour away. For racing crews, note the annual rhythm: Sail Port Stephens in autumn turns the marina into regatta central, and casual berths become scarce. A final local quirk appreciated by returning cruisers: the sunsets over the water from the western-facing berths are the bay's nightly show, best taken from the cockpit with something cold, after a day out at Broughton or up the Myall.