Anna Bay is a coastal town located in the (Port Stephens) area of Port Stephens on the east coast of New South Wales, about 195km from Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, and about 50km from (Newcastle), the second largest city in New South Wales. The resident population is about 4000.
Anna Bay is best known for sliding sand. The Stockton Dune (Stockton Sand Dunes), west of the town, is about 32 km long and 2-4 km wide. It is up to 30 meters high and covers more than 4200 hectares. It is Australia's largest sand dune system. It is also the largest coastal "wind-blown sand" terrain in the southern hemisphere. Sand here began to accumulate about 6,000 years ago, washed ashore by waves and blown inland, forming dunes of all sizes that move westward at a speed of about four meters a year. Sand dune, up to 30 meters high, is a good place to slide sand, which is known as "half sea and half desert." The Lower Car Park, south-west of the town, is the starting point for all of the groups, as well as camel and horse riding options, tickets at the town's tourist center or at the parking lot.
