Travelers often make the sad mistake of bypassing the pristine port town of Port Macquarie (ma-KWAR-ee; pop. 47,000), once a lock-up for Sydney’s worst offenders. Today, killers have been replaced with koalas—Port Macquarie houses the world’s largest urban population of cuddly marsupials. Adrenaline junkies are also at home here, as the meeting of the Hastings River and the Pacific Ocean provides a variety of adventure activities year-round.
Major bus lines, including Greyhound Australia (☎13 14 99 or 13 20 30) and Premier (☎13 34 10), pass through town three times a day on their Sydney-Brisbane routes. Check to make sure your bus stops at Hayward St. rather than out on the highway. Car rental outfits include: Avis, 166 Gordon St. (☎02 6584 5673); Budget (☎02 6583 5144 or 13 27 27), at the corner of Gordon and Hollingsworth St.; Hertz, 102 Gordon St. (☎02 6583 6599 or 1300 132 607); and Thrifty (☎02 6584 2122), on the corner of Horton and Hayward St.
The CBD is bordered to the north by the Hastings River and to the west by Kooloonbung Creek. Horton Street is the main commercial drag. Perpendicular to Horton St. and running along the river to the Marina is Clarence Street, along which you’ll find numerous restaurants and cafes as well as the Port Central Mall. The Visitors Information Centre is at the corner of Gordon and Gore St. (☎1300 303 155; www.portmacquarieinfo.com.au. Open M-F 8:30am-5pm, Sa-Su 9am-4pm.) Banks with ATMs line Horton St. between Clarence and William St. The library, on the corner of Grant and Gordon St., has Internet access (☎02 6581 8755; $4 per hr; open M-F 9:30am-6pm, Sa 9am-noon), as does Port Surf Hub, 57 Clarence St. (☎02 6584 4744. Open M-W and Su 9am-6pm, Th-Sa 9am-7pm. $2.50 initial access fee, plus $0.07 per min.) The police station (☎02 6584 0199) is on the corner of Hay St. and Sunset Pde. A post office is on the corner of William and Short St. (☎02 6588 3100. Open M-F 9am-5pm.) Postal Code: 2444.
Port Macquarie has a range of good budget options, most of which offer weekly discounts. Book ahead during the high season, when motels and caravan parks sometimes choose to double their prices.
Clarence St. is lined with affordable cafes and takeaways. The Port Central Mall, on Claren St., has a food court, deli, and supermarket. There’s also a Food for Less on Short and Buller St. (☎02 6583 2364; open M-Sa 8am-9pm, Su 8am-8pm) and a 24hr. Coles supermarket one block up (☎02 6583 2544).
Koalas. Port Macquarie is home to two of the best koala facilities in the state. The Billabong Koala Breeding Centre, 61 Billabong Dr., 10km west of Port Macquarie at 61 Billabong Dr., allows visitors to pet and feed koalas, wallabies, and kangaroos. The center also has exotic birds, monkeys, and cassowaries, as well as the world’s five most venomous snakes. By car, take Gordon St. west toward Wauchope; those without cars can reach the center by taking bus #335, which runs 2-6 times per day. The volunteer-led Koala Hospital, south of the CBD on Lord St. at the Macquarie Nature Reserve, admits hundreds of sick koalas each year. Visitors can stroll around the grounds or watch the koalas receiving care through a viewing window. (Centre ☎02 6585 1060. Open daily 9am-5pm. Koala presentations 10:30am, 1:30pm, and 3:30pm. $15, children $10, concessions $13. Reserve ☎02 6584 1522; www.koalahospital.org.au. Feeding and tour daily at 3pm. Donations appreciated.)
Beaches. The closest sand is at Town Beach, where the 8km long beach and headland walk starts. From the headlands overlooking Town Beach, you can see North Beach and Hasting River, across the inlet bay. Heading southeast along the coast, you’ll find Oxley Beach, Rocky Beach, and Flynn’s Beach (popular with families). From there, follow Nobby’s Beach to Nobby’s Hill, where an obelisk stands in memory of those who died swimming in the dangerous blowhole (let that be a lesson to you). Next in line is Shelly Beach, home to huge goannas and powerful surf. It’s a perfect picnic spot, complete with BBQ area. The last part of the track leads to Miners Beach (an unofficial nude beach) and the Tacking Point Lighthouse, a popular lookout over Lighthouse Beach, a great surf spot. Hostels are usually willing to drop off guests at the lighthouse if they want to take the walk back. (To reach the beaches by car, drive along William St. to Pacific Dr., which hugs the coast. Turn left on Lighthouse Rd. to reach Miners Beach, the lighthouse, and Lighthouse Beach. Lighthouse, Flynn’s, and Town Beach are patrolled during summer. Public toilets are located at Town, Flynn’s, Shelly, Nobby’s Hill, and the carpark just before the lighthouse.)
Parks. The Sea Acres Rainforest Centre, at Shelly Beach, preserves one of the largest stretches of coastal rainforest in the country. A 1.3km raised boardwalk circles through a portion of the 76-hectare reserve and allows glimpses of bush turkeys and flying foxes. You can explore on your own, but illuminating, volunteer-guided walks are also available. The visitors center has a free 20min. film and ecological display. (☎02 6582 3355. Open daily 9am-4:30pm. $8, children $4. Accessible by bus #322 (hourly) from the town center. Shelly Beach Stop.) At the end of Horton St. is one of several entrances to the Kooloonbung Creek Nature Reserve, a 52-hectare conservation area of peaceful bushland with footpaths through mangroves and wetlands. On the other side of the Hasting River, North Beach leads to Point Plommer and Limeburner Creek Nature Reserve, the site of Aboriginal artifacts and the Big Hill walking track (2km). (Ferries take cars from Settlement Point, at the end of Settlement Point Rd. (called Park St. at the intersection with Hastings River Dr.), to North Shore Dr. From there, turn right onto the 16km coastal Point Plommer Rd., which is unsealed but bikeable. Those in 2WDs should take Maria River Rd. instead.)
The Port Macquarie Hotel, on the corner of Clarence and Horton St., is a popular nightspot in town, with several bars and a dance floor. (☎02 6583 1011. W karaoke. Su live music. M-Th and Su open 10am-midnight, F-Sa 10am-1am.) Downunder, on Short St. next to Coles, has Trivia Wednesdays at 9pm. (Open daily 9pm with last entrance at 1am.) Finnian’s Irish Tavern, on the corner of Gordon and Horton St., attracts a relaxed, older crowd. (☎02 6583 4646. Th trivia, F DJ, Sa live music. Open M-Tu and Su 11am-11pm, W-Sa 11am-midnight.)
On Land. Aussie adventurer Greg leads Port Macquarie Camel Safaris. Caravan along Lighthouse Beach and perhaps spot some whales or dolphins from your camelback vantage point. Pickup in the camel car can be arranged. (☎04 3767 2080. 30min. Operates M-F and Su 9:30am-1pm. $25, children $20.) Bikes can be rented from Graham Seers Cyclery, located at Shop Port Marina on Park St. (☎02 6583 2333. $15 per hr., $40 per day, $70 per week. Open M-F 9am-5pm, Sa 9am-1:30pm.) Most hostels also loan bikes. For mountain biking or abseiling, try EdgeExperience, with tours for cyclists and climbers for all levels. (☎04 2732 4009; www.edgeexperience.com.au. ½-day mountain biking $65, or introductory abseiling $110. Free pickup.)
In Water. Hang 10 with Port Macquarie Surf School, which offers classes for newbies and intermediate surfers. (☎02 6585 5433; www.portmacquariesurfschool.com.au. 1½hr. group lessons $40.) Port Venture runs 2hr. dolphin watching cruises in a large ship (☎02 6583 3058; $25) with daily tea and BBQ on W. Kayak Tours runs a variety of trip from 30min. ($15) to 4hr. ($50) through the mangroves or rapids. (☎02 6584 1039; www.kayakinport.com.)
In Air. High Adventure Air Park offers a variety of tandem flights. (☎04 2984 4961. 30min. Coastal paragliding $160, mountains $220.) To see the sky with your feet planted on the ground, visit the Observatorium, situated in Rotary Park on the corner of Stewart and Lord St., where a large telescope offers good views of the Southern Hemisphere’s constellations. (☎02 6584 9164. Apr.-Oct. W and Su beginning 7:30pm; end of Oct.-early Apr. 8:15pm. Adult $8, concession $7.)
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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