Shoal Bay Place Plan

Shoal Bay is a beautiful coastal town, steeped in Worimi traditions. It has come a long way from its sleepy fishing village beginnings. With its crystal clear waters and pristine beaches, Shoal Bay is a paradise and only a 2.5 hour drive from Sydney and minutes from Nelson Bay, making it easily accessible for visitors.

Shoal Bay is a tight-knit community that values its natural assets. The village maintains its charm with a picturesque esplanade, lined with beach-facing shops and restaurants along Shoal Bay Road. The open space provides a magnificent view of the beach and Tomaree Headland and the overall character of Shoal Bay is highly valued by residents and visitors. The town has a relaxed, coastal vibe, which is influenced by the natural surroundings and the built-up area of the town center.

The population of Shoal Bay increases dramatically during peak holiday periods. To cater for continued growth and the development into the future, our focus is on enhancing the natural assets, improving pedestrian access, traffic circulation, and drainage infrastructure, and investigating opportunities for new housing. This Place Plan outlines strategies to manage housing demand and preserve natural beauty in Shoal Bay, while improving residents’ quality of life.

The Shoal Bay Place Plan

The ideas that underpin the Shoal Bay Place Plan have been developed over a period of time through community consultation. Following broad community engagement, Port Stephens Council unanimously agreed to adopt the Shoal Bay Place Plan at its ordinary meeting on Tuesday 23 April 2024.

Liveability score

In August 2020, we teamed up with Place Score to complete our first-ever place census. Over 3,700 people across the LGA, including people who live, play and visit Shoal Bay, told us what they value and how they rate the suburb. The survey results helped us identify the priorities for the Shoal Bay community and plan accordingly.

Download the Liveability index for Shoal Bay to learn more about what the residents said they value most in this area.

Place Plan Projects

The community of Shoal Bay has embraced the adopted Place Plan and are in the process of completing some amazing projects for their town.

See some of the completed projects and events here that have improved the vibrancy of the town.

It’s not too late to get involved with the next community project. We encourage you to reach out to your Town Team Leader and help us create an even better place for Shoal Bay!

Community grants

Our funding program gives eligible individuals, artists, community organisations, not-for-profits, businesses, students and others the opportunity to apply for funds to deliver initiatives that make a real difference to local communities and our region. These funding programs play a pivotal role in building capacity by supporting initiatives that enhance the social, cultural, environmental and economic life of our communities.

The Shoal Bay Place Plan provides lots of inspiration for projects that would qualify under the grants program. Visit our Grants page for more information.

Get involved

Contact our Vibrant Places team on 4988 0255 or via email to arrange a time to talk about your place planning idea, project or register your interest.