Port Macquarie - Top Winter Holiday Spot.
Fishing off the breakwallby Anna Warwick
Port, or P Mac, as the locals fondly call it, is accessible by plane, train and car. It lies halfway between Byron Bay and Sydney on the east coast. My friend Jenn and I got ourselves some wheels through Vroom car hire – they do last minute budget deals with all the car hire companies in Sydney - and away we went on Friday arvo for a girl’s weekend.
Whale tours run daily all winterAnd what a delightful surprise was in store for us! Not only is Port Macquarie a civilised 20-something degrees all year round, the town’s exquisite beauty is unspoiled by a brassy commercial landscape. It has a sophisticated atmosphere, and a gentle pace. Well dressed locals pack the breakwall promenade on Sunday afternoon, and stroll arm in arm beside the sparkling green bay. There are whale tours and holiday flats but there’s no feeling of urgent tourism. The town seems to be inhabited by professionals and vibrant entrepreneurs, who dine alfresco in the many restaurants and café’s, or share a bevy at the renovated pubs.
Our waterfront cabin!We arrived at the Port Macquarie Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park at 7pm. This is one fancy caravan park – it’s right on the water in the center of the thriving town, has a gorgeous pool, plenty of parking, stacks of activities and great rates. Our “cabin” was more like a little house, with the full kitchen, spa bath and a bedroom each (hooray!). Perfect spot for a family trip – and we were treated to a complimentary bottle of wine with a cheese platter. Ahhh, time to sit out on the balcony and raise a toast to the good life! There were plenty of restaurants open around town to entertain us, but we chose the takeaway option so we could race back to our water view.
Sam makes sure my ropes are secure...Bright and early the next morning, Sam Dalton of the Edge Experience adventure tour company rocked around in his big black four wheel drive to pick us up for our beginner’s abseiling course. It was a sparkling morning as we drove out of town and up through the gorgeous Queens Lake Conservation Area to Mount Jollynose. Sam is a fantastic guide – his passion for the local environment is boundless, and he reeled off dozens of eco-driven projects he’s running; including educating school groups on eco-tours of the many national parks, and taking it upon himself to clear up the dumped rubbish in the wilderness.
Jenn conquers her all time biggest fear!We got our own mind-expanding tour (Aboriginal heritage, European heritage, plant life, wildlife, local trivia – e.g. the koala in the tree on the next door neighbour’s lawn) from Sam as he chatted merrily away throughout the morning.
We rolled up the mountainside and donned our gear for the abseil. It would be wonderful to spend a lot more time in those forests – from the top of the mountain we could see all the way to the ocean over the lush green plains. There were so many birds and butterflies… it was a tranquil and energizing place.
Sam gave us a safety lesson and started us off on an easy little descent – he called it a “nursery boulder”. Jenn was more than a little scared of heights and an abseiling virgin – but with some coaching from the Edge Experience team she faced her worst fears and made the descent. As Jenn put it: “god it was so worth it. My life changed when I stepped over that rock and went on down!”
As the morning went on we pushed the boundaries and sprang off higher and higher cliffs – the final descent of the morning was 50 meters! Jenn made it too and I had so much fun I gave it two goes.
The pristine beachesAfter lunch we took it upon ourselves to make the most of a magic afternoon and check out the beaches around Port Macquarie. You can do so much in this place. There are sea kayak adventure tours along the river where you explore mangroves and bat caves (spooky!). There are whale watching and dolphin tours. There are wine tours, tours of Aboriginal sites and heritage sites, there’s great surf and of course, the prettiest safe beaches to lie on and enjoy. I took a bike and went for a little pedal around the port as the sun went down, and it had the vibe of a bustling European fishing village.
P-Mac by nightThat evening we headed round the corner for dinner at Splash Restaurant, where we tucked into some fine Mod Oz cuisine and seafood. The oysters were spectacular and the crème brûlée to die for. From Splash it was a mere two meters to the pub - The Beachhouse - where we whiled away a few good hours sampling the local champagne with Sam and his friends. After 10pm the place was packed with young funky types – we couldn’t keep up! (oh alright... we let them drag us to pumping nightclub Altitude before finally hitting the hay... oh and the town bakery stays open all night long selling the BEST sausage rolls!)
Up bright and early for an eco bike tour...Ouch. Sunday morning Sam was gracious enough to give us a late start (9am) for our next adventure – a mountain bike ride through the amazing surrounds of the Lake Innes Nature Reserve (apparently named after the first Governor of Port Macquarie, Major Archibald Clunes Innes - he was in charge of the convicts). Thank god he showed up with a great coffee from the café over the road (called The Corner). Lifesaver! The mountain bike ride was absolutely beautiful… we rode through long reeds, dense wildflower wilderness, swampy mud pools (there go more boundaries!) and through the rainforest to the lakes. Sam actually does twilight tours of this area which would be amazing. We glimpsed a kangaroo or two, but in the evening you’ll see wallabies, kangas, frogs, owls and all sorts of nocturnal nightlife.
The Port Macquarie lighthouseSo sad to leave P-Mac and our new friends, but I have definitely found my all time fave coastal town. You’ll love it too – go for at least a week.
TIP: Why not plan your trip around of these ‘Top Three Family Events’:
Fresh Art (30 June to 13 July) - an exhibition for artists as young as 12, plus free music gigs, drama and film making workshops during July school holidays.
Timbertown Steam and Oil Engine Display (7 and 8 July) - an annual show of vintage vehicles, trains and trucks at this working recreation of a 19th century timber-milling village.
Australian Formula One Superboat Series (21 and 22 July) - witness the roar of F1 class, F2000 class, F3 class, Mono class and Thundercats as they race along the Hastings River.
Sam Dalton checks out the view from the top of Mount Jollynose.Getting There
By Road - Port is a 4.5 hour drive from Sydney and a 7 hour drive from Brisbane. You can take a Greyhound or Premier coach as well.
Rail - The XPT train service between Sydney and Brisbane stops at Wauchope for passengers visiting Port Macquarie.
Air - Port Macquarie is serviced by regular Qantaslink and Brindabella Airlines Flights. Flying time is one hour from Sydney and 1.5 hours from Brisbane.
Contact details: Port Macquarie Holidays www.portmacquarieholidays.com or call 1800 636 452.
