Port Macquarie - Mid North Coast, New South Wales

View down the Hastings River to the mouth  with the Bar on the left & Port Macquarie
township on the right.

Before I left the Gold Coast, an old friend 
and sailor, asked me to send back some
pics of Port Macquarie so this is the 
start which I will update whilst 
I'm down here and adventure around 
the region.

I have now been in Port, as it is called down 

here, for close onto 4 months and although 

busy in the new job, I haven't really had time 

to go and explore this delightful little town and

 its surrounding areas. So I thought I would 

give you my "First Impressions" of this little gem. 

Port Macquarie is nestled on the sandy beaches
of the picturesque mid-north coast of New
South Wales and this vibrant and unspoilt town
remains a favourite getaway spot from the
hustle & bustle of Sydney - just 4 hours drive
south. The town itself is dotted with boutique     shops, fashionable eateries, heritage buildings
and a stunning 86 kilometer coastline and
maintains an almost "small town" feel, even 
during the busy summer months, giving it a
relaxing edge on its bustling coastal rivals.

It is more than just a resort town - the area
is laden with wineries, golf courses, shops,
entertainment venues and other activities such as
strawberry picking, horse riding, whale watching,
bike riding, hiking and camel safaris on the beach
and has a rich history, complete with former convict buildings and seasonable cultural exhibitions and the close by Sea Acres Rainforest.
(These last 2 Paragraphs were extracts from Sydney Morning Herald back on 19th April 2014)

These last three images are from top:

(1) Port's main street - Horton Street - the CBD

(2) One of the fabulous local beaches right on the CBD's doorstep - Flynn's Beach.

(3) Cassegrain's Winery

(All three pics are from the local tourist info site on the web).

The area is steeped in history as I said before, in fact Port, from what I can gather, was the second Penal colony in Australia. It was decided to place all the hardened convicts that had repeat offences here in Australia in this area  due to its isolation from the main settlement in Botany Bay. Only the hardest of hard were sent here and from what I have read, this headstone at left for James Vaughan, was the first penal officer to be killed in the line of duty trying to re-capture an escaped convict. 

His grave sits atop the headland over-looking the ocean - Prime Real Estate!! (see next pic below).

I also read somewhere, that the Governor at the time was William Darling, 

whom from what I can ascertain was not a popular person and as such, every literate convict or person that had anything detrimental to say about him or his running of the office, was immediately dispatched to Port Macquarie. I guess "out of sight - out of mind - out of his way". 

This being the case, Port, although segregated from normal society by rugged bush lands, rivers and distance, might have been the inspiration for those literate people to start to develop a culture within the community of the time and that, I feel,  still exists today.

 Port, from what little I've seen, seems to thrive on social activity, with local jazz & blues, visiting bands from all over the world, cultural activities that are shown at the $70m Glass House (pic at left) to street markets and a thriving tourist trade.

The restaurants that I have visited have world class food which is priced to the local market and very affordable. All in all, Port has something for everyone and  if any of you are passing this way, stop for a while and see for yourself.

In fact, it reminds me a lot of the Gold Coast

30+ years ago before the advent of highrises. 

Port has a current population of around 70,000 and back all those years ago, the coast had a population of 68,000, so the similarities are quite significant.

This casual little beachside jewel of a town is a MUST visit.

So there you have it so far Trish, now its time for you and Robert to weigh anchor on Bristol Rose and take a leisurely sail down to Port and enjoy what the region offers . . .  

So until I get more acquainted with the region, or unless you visit us down here Cheers till next time...