Port Macquarie.

On the mid-north coast of New South Wales, Port Macquarie lies at the mouth of the Hastings River approximately halfway between Queensland’s Gold Coast and Sydney.

Founded as a convict settlement in 1821, Port Macquarie has come a long way from its convict past.

The vibrant city centre has a large selection of shops for all you shopaholics and some splendid eateries for your culinary delight and along Short Street, by the Hastings River, you can book river cruises, whale watching cruises in May to July and September to November, seaplane adventure flights and dolphin watching cruises (including doing so aboard a Chinese Junk).

North Beach is across the Hastings River from the town, accessible by the vehicular ferry off Hastings River Drive.

Also around Port Macquarie you'll find a number of beautiful gardens with bushland and rainforest walks, as well as several wildlife and nature parks.

In the town you will find the Kooloonbung Creek Nature Park that has some wonderful marked walking trails and inland you can visit the rainforests to experience another side to the areas beauty.

There is also a selection of coastal rainforest in the Sea Acres Rainforest Centre, which holds an exhibition about the rainforests as well as offering a walk around the centre.

Port Macquarie offers a great range of accommodation including discount hostels, hotels and holiday apartments.

There are also plenty of restaurants to suit every budget and every palate with the majority within walking distance of the town centre.

There are a number of pubs with live bands and entertainment, and one of the main nightclubs in the town is Down Under on Short Street.

Getting around the town isn’t a problem either.

If you don't fancy walking then hop on one of the local buses.

The service also runs to Wauchope, which is a timber town further inland and from there you can catch a train to Sydney should you so desire.

For longer distance travel head to the main bus station on Hayward Street and remember Greyhound Pioneer stops at the Pacific Highway Service Centre. The major attraction for visitors to Port Macquarie is the vast range of water sports that it offers.

You can also visit the Maritime Museum which has some interesting displays.

A short walk up over the hill along Clarence Street, you’ll come to the first of the town’s many beaches which include, would you believe, Town Beach, Flynn's Beach, Lighthouse Beach, Nobby's Beach, Oxley Beach, Rocky Beach and Shelly Beach..

Flynn's Beach, Lighthouse Beach and Town Beach all offer free parking and barbecues, and are patrolled during high season.

There are numerous lookouts and nature walks along this stretch of coast, and for a beach experience with a difference try the camel rides at Lighthouse Beach. You can hire boats and windsurfers to explore the area and see the beautiful landscape; windsurfing is popular around Big Bay, Regatta Grounds, Pilot Beach and Trial Bay and you can hire Barbecue Pontoon Boats allowing you to explore the waters or do a days fishing.

Those that like to fish can choose from deep sea, game, beach and ocean fishing.

If you fancy a bit of surfing there are several good places around the town, although you can also head south to Bonny Hills, Dunbogan or North Haven.

Alternatively, for a relaxing day and a great picnic spot head to Lake Cathie.

Hang gliding is good at Harry’s Lookout and North Brother Mountain, where you can take part or watch everyone else, you can take trips along the Hastings River, which is a pleasant way to spend some time or perhaps you might visit one of the many golf courses around the district.

The climate in the Port Macquarie district is very pleasant with average daily temperatures running from 7 to 18 degrees Celsius in winter and 18 to 25 in summer.

The town is approximately a 10 km trip off the Pacific Highway, via either by the Oxley Highway, or further north, via the picturesque Hastings River Drive.

Other places to go in the area include:

· Sea Acres Rainforest Centre - 72 hectares of rare coastal rainforest, protected since 1913. View via a 1.3km elevated boardwalk, with guided tours available, and visit the Enviro-Theatre and Ecology Display Rooms. Located at Shelly Beach, just south of the Port Macquarie CBD.

· Macquarie Nature Reserve - the main attraction here is the Koala Hospital, where you can see recovering and orphaned koalas being fed, and go on a guided tour of the park.

· Billabong Koala Breeding Centre - more koalas, plus wallabies, kangaroos, wombats, birds and more. Koala patting sessions are held daily.

· Timbertown - a working recreation of a sawmiller’s village of the late 1800s near Wauchope. Heritage steam train, bullock team demonstrations, pony rides, woodturning, sawmill, blacksmith, miniature railway, paddle boats, BBQ area, stores, wine tasting, bushwalking trails and more.

· The hinterland - the country roads to the west of Port Macquarie and Camden Haven wind though wonderful scenery, with the odd small village, café, gallery and cottage industry along the way. Ellenborough Falls, the largest single drop waterfall in the Southern Hemisphere is west of Combyne, as is the Boorgana Nature Reserve, with rainforest and abundant plant and animal life. Guided 4WD tours of this area are available.

· Lake Cathie - a small town 17 km south of Port Macquarie, with surf and lake beaches, terrific fishing, canoe hire and bowling club. Spectacular coastal views from the wooded hills of the Lake Innes Nature Reserve behind the town.

· Wauchope - inland on the Hastings River, 20 minutes drive from Port Macquarie. Visit Timbertown, and the Big Bull, a working dairy farm with an animal nursery, restaurant, rides and of course the Big Bull itself.

· Crescent Head - a small beachside town, 65 km north of Port Macquarie. Swim at the family-friendly Pebbly Beach, or for those wanting to surf try the beaches south of the town. Bushwalking, fishing, a picturesque 6 hole golf course looking out over the town and the headland, “Big Nobby”, cafes and a couple of restaurants. Hat Head National park is just to the north of the town, Limeburners Creek Nature Reserve to the south, ensuring the area remains unspoilt.

Yes, Port Macquarie is an attractive holiday destination with something for everyone: a rich history dating back to convict times, beaches with good surfing, excellent ocean and river fishing, superb nature reserves, beautiful walking tracks around the headlands and beaches, and lots of amusements for the kids.

Enjoy.........

John.

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