With 174 kilometres of shoreline, Lake Macquarie is no quick place to explore.
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Its best Kodak Moment might be the dazzling aqua waters off Swansea and Pelican, but there is so much more on offer.
However, for those unable to get on the water, discovering the hidden nooks and crannies of natural beauty can be difficult.
Sure, you can take a drive to a one of the points or bays, maybe even find a lookout.
But those trips, they take time, and your view is generally of the water - not what's on the shoreline, or inaccessible by land.
Dominic May, owner of cruise boat business CoastXP, hopes to make exploring the best of the lake a little easier.
Mr May, who has been operating whale-watching and coastal sight-seeing tours our of Newcastle Harbour since 2018, is about to launch a Lake Explorer tour.
While one of CoastXP's existing tours had offered a run to Catherine Hill Bay and taken in the Lake Macquarie coast, the new experience - which will begin later this month - will journey inside Swansea Heads for the first time.
Mr May said burgeoning interest had led to the introduction of the tour. CoastXP's 20-seat vessel will depart from Pelican foreshore and cover more than 50 kilometres of the lake over two hours.
The Lake Explorer tour will visit Swan Bay, Swansea's sand islands, waterfront homes at Eleebana and Valentine, Pulbah Island and Trinity Point.
Mr May said a four-hour special event tour was also on offer, covering the same route but stopping for lunch new Trinity Point restaurant '8'.
"We believe guests will get a whole new perspective of Lake Macquarie, exploring areas of the lake few get to see," Mr May said.
"Part of the appeal is the distance we are able to travel in a relatively short period of time, and guests will get a sense of the historical significance of Lake Macquarie, from its geology to its Aboriginal heritage and maritime history."
The CoastXP expansion follows the 2018 launch of Lake Macquarie Cruises, which operates from Booragul, and the long-running JetBuzz jet-boat experience based at Cams Wharf.
Lake Macquarie City Council cultural engagement, marketing and tourism coordinator, Bianca Gilmore, said confidence in the city's tourism sector was growing.
"It's fantastic to see local businesses, and of course the tourists themselves, recognising and capitalising on Lake Mac's enormous potential for adventure and outdoor tourism," she said.
Bookings for the new tours can be made at coastxp.com.
Pooch patrol on the water
We wrote a story in Tuesday's Newcastle Herald about a NSW Maritime safety blitz at the weekend targeting jet-ski riders. The operation was held on popular waterways between Lake Macquarie and Tweed Heads.
NSW Maritime sent in a bunch of photos of their boating safety officers out on the water inspecting vessels and licences. Among the photos that lobbed in our inbox was one of a dog on the back of jet-ski.
We've don't know whose dog it was, but the photo was taken in Forster. The pooch was in a box secured to the jet-ski wearing a lead and life-jacket.
Topics has seen dogs on boats before, even kayaks, but never a jet-ski.
Billboards go digital
The F3, now known as the M1 Motorway, is about to get its first digital billboard. Well, if state planning gives Roads and Maritime Services' plans for the signs the all-clear.
The roads agency wants to install two 12.63m x 3.95m electronic billboards on the Alison Road overpass at Wyong. The digital conversion of the existing billboards will eliminate the process of having to change and maintain the printed advertisements.
The application says the LED display will not scroll, flash or feature motion pictures, or emit intermittent light. The static digital ads will change every 25 seconds.
The displays will be operated 24/7.