How to get there: If you're travelling from the south, take the Budgewoi-Swansea exit on the F3 freeway, which takes you along the Pacific Highway straight to Swansea.
From the north: Follow the Pacific Highway.
What to take: Swimming costumes, walking shoes, fishing rods, surfboards, sunscreen.
Who should go: Swansea is a great place for family holidays and grey nomads.
What to see: Swansea Channel, Caves Beach, Murrays Beach, Wallarah Peninsula.
What to do: Go surfing and explore sea caves at Caves Beach, bushwalking on the Wallarah Peninsula, fishing in Swansea Channel, scuba diving under Swansea Bridge, picnic at Murrays Beach.
Where to eat: Swansea RSL; Swansea Hotel; La De Das, Swansea; Lakehouse Cafe, Murrays Beach; Caves Beachside Resort, Caves Beach.
Best kept secret: Murrays Beach.
LOCATED at the south-eastern gateway to Lake Macquarie, Swansea is a scenic town with plenty around to see and do.
With the lake on one side and ocean on the other, the town offers a range of recreational options for the daytripper.
It's a popular area for the traditional Aussie caravan holiday, but more upmarket accommodation is available.
At the heart of the town is the controversial Swansea Channel, the lake's narrow opening that is never far from the news.
The channel tends to shoal up and successive governments have failed to find a lasting solution to keep it deep enough for boats to pass through safely.
But if you're not coming to Swansea via water, the channel's problems won't be your concern. Instead, you can focus on its beauty.
The channel itself is among the Hunter's most striking natural attributes. On a fine sunny day, its turquoise waters and white sand islands are enough to transfix and relax any onlooker, no matter how much tension is knotted in their shoulders.
Spend a few moments watching the crystal clear waters ebb and flow or a fisho throwing a line in from a tinny and the stress will melt away.
Good spots for boat-fishing around Swansea are the channel and nearby Marks Point. For more adventurous types, deep sea fishing can be done from charter boats.
The nearby Caves Beach features a network of sea caves at the beach's southern end, which people can walk to at low tide.
A trip to Swansea should not go by without time spent on the Wallarah Peninsula, which begins immediately south of Swansea's town centre.
The peninsula features national parks and bush walks from lake to coast. Information on walking trails can be found at visitlakemac.com.au.
The Murrays Beach housing subdivision, on the peninsula, is well worth a look. It's the most eco-friendly development in the Hunter and has a village green where the public can picnic.
More information on activities can be found at Lake Macquarie's visitor information centre in Swansea's main street. It's a stylish, modern building that also houses a library and youth centre.
Good news for locals and tourists is that Woolworths recently opened an equally impressive building. For years, Coles was the only supermarket in town.
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