Nelson Bay Foreshore joins an elite group — it’s one of just 13 parks in Australia and one of the first outside a capital city to receive the Green Flag Award. Until this year, only parks in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne had been awarded the honour.

The Green Flag Award originated in the United Kingdom in the 1990s to raise the standard of green spaces and bring people back to parks.

Parks Program Coordinator Michael Reay says it’s an honour to receive the award.

“Nelson Bay Foreshore is one of the premier destinations on the New South Wales coast for dolphin and whale watching, with around a quarter of a million visitors and residents visiting the park each year,” he said.

“It’s really rewarding for Port Stephens to be one of the first regional councils to be acknowledged for our park management, and for Nelson Bay Foreshore to be seen as setting the benchmark for green spaces across Australia,” he said.

“The judges were also very impressed with concepts of the Nelson Bay Public Domain Plan, which aims to improve the links between the foreshore and town centre.

“We take pride in our parks here in Port Stephens, and taking care of them is a real team effort, so it’s great to see all that hard work recognised,” he said.

The Green Flag Award judging process is rigorous, with applicants judged against 27 different criteria and an on-site inspection for finalists.

The award was presented last night at the International Parks and Leisure Congress in Melbourne.