Located at d'Albora Marina, the iconic ice creamery has held a special place in the hearts of locals and visitors alike, united by the timeless appeal of a special treat.

"Everyone loves ice cream," a spokesperson for the current owners, said.

"It brings people together and it's a happy thing popular across the whole age demographic. Nelson Bay is a traditional holiday destination and we see generations of people coming through the shop - people we served as kids, returning with their kids for an ice cream on the marina. It's lovely."

The Marina Ice Creamery started off as a franchise - the Great Australian Ice Creamery - but within 12 months it became a stand alone entity and has now become one of the busiest ice cream retailers in the country.

Great location looking out over beautiful Port Stephens was one advantage for the business, but the enduring strength over three decades has been the range and quality of ice cream.

"It stands alone from any franchise offering," the spokesperson said. "Superior quality and vast range with 52 flavours on display covering ice cream, gelato and sorbet.Gourmet ice creams made with real fruit, properly churned, made in small batches, a lot of it hand finished in branded cups, waffle cones, kids cones - quite a range.

"We also make sundaes from those products, as well as serving milkshakes, thickshakes and great coffee (Vittoria)."

When it comes to flavour favourites, Rock salt caramel stands out.

"Another flavour that really seems to hold a niche appeal is licorice," the spokesperson said. "We always keep it in stock because people get very excited about it."

The current owners have taken the range of flavours available to the next level in the last six years.

"We've introduced different flavours of ice cream like Turkish Delight and Pavlova which have been well recieved," the spokesperson said. "People are open to experimentation and eager to try new things."

Marina Ice Creamery is open seven days a week - 10am to 5pm in winter, 9am-10.30pm over summer.

"Ice cream season is traditionally from September through to April," the spokesperson said. "During winter things rolls along quite nicely too. There's always people coming through with the whale watching, dolphin cruises and so on."

The Marina Ice Creamery holds a special place in everyone's heart and has been the backdrop of some special experiences.

"We once had a young couple in the shop standing around sheepishly," the spokesperson said.

"They eventually bought an ice cream and when I handed the change back the man revealed he had just proposed. I guess you'd say it was a really sweet moment."

To check out all the flavours available at Marina Ice Creamery at d'Albora Marina, Nelson Bay visit www.marinaicecream.com.au.