Ocean meets forest at Tomaree Coastal Walk near Port Stephens

The new Tomaree Coastal Walk is tiring, but nature is a natural painkiller.

It's the quietness of the Tomaree Coastal Walk that I notice most at first. Then there's the birdsong, the tangled native trees and the way the light infiltrates the forest so precisely.

When I was first offered the chance to do the Tomaree trek, I began to visualise it. I've done a fair bit of nature walking before, so I knew what to expect. I could anticipate the freedom and clear-mindedness that comes with this kind of experience.

Before long, I'm in Port Stephens, north of Newcastle, absorbed in the actual walk. With each step, I gradually detach from the usual patterns of life. I hit the trail from Shoal Bay and wind my way through the Tomaree National Park. This early part of the walk involves steep terrain.

The signposts are good but it's handy to have location data switched on while using the NSW National Parks app to make sure you're on course.

The refreshing blend of sea and forest air settles me into a natural rhythm. In some spots, the eucalypts bend and twist in a gothic tangle, creating walking tunnels. The banksias stand out, challenging the gum and angophora trees as the most native of all native flora on the trail.

The banksias own the landscape and it feels like they are the landscape.

The best part of the first day is the Barry Park Track south of Fingal Bay, with a shady trail and ocean views of the deadly but beautiful Fingal Spit. It is on this part of the trek that the birdlife is most unique.

And this is where the air feels the cleanest, yet also with the pleasant fragrance of wildflowers.

The more remote you get from the urban fringe, the more you notice the landscape in its natural state - free from weeds.

The coastal heathland between Fingal and Samurai beaches is a wonderful sight. To push on for the next few hours to Samurai and One Mile beaches takes stamina, a fair bit of determination and sustenance, especially water.

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and NSW Premier Chris Minns officially opened the 27-kilometre Tomaree Coastal Walk on September 1.

As part of the $6.7 million project, NPWS upgraded walking tracks, built new sections and lookouts, developed new visitor precincts at the northern and southern trailheads, and improved carparking and the iconic Tomaree Head Summit walking track.

NPWS says the multi-day trek is best experienced as a two-day walk - or three-day walk for those seeking a more leisurely pace.

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It suggests an 18-kilometre trek from Tomaree Headland to Middle Rock at One Mile Beach on day one of a two-day trek. On day two, it recommends walking nine kilometres from Middle Rock to Birubi Beach.

Or, as they say, choose your own adventure.

At the end of a long first day, I stay overnight at the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary at One Mile Beach.

It's a gem of a place with a big native garden filled with grevilleas, westringia, lomandra and lilly pillies.

There's a skywalk with an elevated pathway and viewing platform, providing a tree-top perspective of outdoor enclosures where recovered koalas live. These animals were not fit enough to return to the wild. The sanctuary also contains the Port Stephens Koala Hospital.

I stay in the sanctuary's deluxe glamping with mod cons and creature comforts. I awake the next morning at first light to the sound of a kookaburra. It makes me smile, as this is my perfect alarm clock.

The legs are pretty tight and sore but, once I get going on the second day's walk, the muscles respond. Plus, walking and nature are natural painkillers.

The walk is a big dose of rock, sand, ocean and forest.

According to Port Stephens MP Kate Washington, Tomaree National Park is "one of the most special places in Port Stephens and on the planet".

It's hard to argue with that when taking in the view of the ocean from the national park at Boat Harbour or walking One Mile Beach, or absorbing the Iris Moore Lookout between Fishermans Bay and Birubi Point.

The last part of the walk is Birubi Point Aboriginal Place.

As I arrive, the rugged red rocks on the shore highlight a stunning secluded spot with a timeless feel.

I quickly spot a white-bellied sea eagle perched on a big rock, before taking flight. This is the bird's domain and it looks like a good life for a creature to live.

I can attest, too, that the Tomaree Coastal Walk is a good life for a human to live for at least a couple of days.

The walk: The 27-kilometre Tomaree Coastal Walk starts at Tomaree Head Summit near Shoal Bay and ends at Birubi Point Aboriginal Place in Anna Bay.

Getting there: Shoal Bay is about a three-hour drive north of Sydney and a one-hour drive from Newcastle. Free all-day parking is available along Shoal Bay Road and at Zenith Beach car parks. Arrive early because this area is busy on weekends and in summer.

Staying there: Break your journey at Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary near One Mile Beach. Studio rooms at the sanctuary start at $399 per night, while a Deluxe Glamping stay starts at $499 a night. Both options include breakfast, guided sanctuary tour and koala viewing. See portstephenskoalasanctuary.com.au

Explore more: nationalparks.nsw.gov.au

The writer travelled as a guest of NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary.