New extreme ‘Dune Duster’ sporting event on Australia’s biggest sand dunes in Port Stephens

The Southern Hemisphere’s biggest sand dunes, which peak 40m high in Port Stephens, 2½ hours north of Sydney, will play host to a new extreme sporting event on Sunday, December 14, 2014 – the Red Bull Dune Dusters.

Drawing more than 500 hardy competitors and delivering a fresh tourism boost to Port Stephens, the inaugural event will trace a tortuous 7km route up and over a Sahara-like desert of dunes behind 32km-long Stockton Beach in the Worimi Conservation Lands near Williamtown in Port Stephens.

The soft sand endurance event is open to participants aged over 16, with several elite sporting stars like Olympic triathlete and ironman, Courtney Atkinson, also entering the competition, which starts at 10.30am on December 14.

Ross Smart – Communications Manager for Port Stephens Council, which has helped facilitate the event, and is also entering it himself, said: “This exciting new event provides a great opportunity to showcase Port Stephens’ spectacular and unique scenery to a new audience and we hope it will become an annual event that grows in size.”

Destination Port Stephens CEO, Janelle Gardner, said: “Innovative, new events like the Dune Dusters are pivotal to the continued expansion of the Port Stephens brand. These events attract new visitors to the area, which help grow our $400 million-a-year visitor economy. The huge Stockton sand dunes are one of the unique features of Port Stephens so we’re excited this new event will highlight their breathtaking appeal – literally!”

The shifting dunes in the Worimi Conservation Lands are popular with visitors to Port Stephens where several tour operators offer sand duning, quad bike and four-wheel-drive experiences.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia