Taree (pop. 20,000), off the Pacific Hwy. on the Manning River, is a small, convenient base for exploring nearby beaches and national parks. Taree and nearby Wingham’s “country retreat” industries provide relaxing getaways.
Transportation. Taree’s bus station, 58 Victoria St., is called the Union Service Station. Busways (☎1800 043 263), Countrylink (☎13 22 32), Greyhound Australia (☎13 20 30), and Premier (☎13 34 10) run buses to: Brisbane (9-10hr., 4 per day, $65-85); Byron Bay (8hr., 4 per day, $65-85); Coffs Harbour (4½hr., 2-3 per day, $48-57); Port Macquarie (1-1½hr., 2-3 per day, $32-49); Sydney (5-6hr., 3-4 per day, $57-85). Eggins Comfort Coaches (☎02 6552 2700; www.egginscomfortcoaches.com.au) is a regional line for the Great Lakes area, running routes between Taree and Forster, Kendall, Blackhead, Diamond Beach, Manning Point. A bus depot sits on Elizabeth St. Holiday Coast Connection (☎02 6581 5557) provides a daily service from Taree to Newcastle at 8:20am.
Orientation And Practical Information. Taree’s main road, Victoria Street, feeds directly into the Pacific Hwy. Most establishments are on Victoria St. or the streets between Pulteney and Macquarie St. The Manning Valley Visitors Information Centre on Manning River Dr., 4km north of town, is past the Big Oyster Ford car dealership. (☎02 6592 5444; www.manningvalley.info. Open daily 9am-5pm, public holidays and winter weekends 9am-4pm.) The library, to the right of the Fotheringham Hotel, Victoria St., offers free Internet access. (☎02 6592 5290. Open M-W and F 9:30am-5pm, Th 9:30am-6pm, Sa 10am-4pm.) The post office is on Albert St., near the intersection with Manning St. (Open daily 8:30am-5pm.) Postal Code: 2430.
Accommodations And Food. Accommodations are plentiful but not cheap; most hotels offer backpacker rates. Namaste Beach House , 31 David St. in Old Bar, is a great alternative to staying in Taree. It has modern leather furniture, a meditation room, TV, and BBQ, and it’s only a block from the beach. (☎02 6557 4224; www.namastebeachhouse.com. Singles $40; doubles and twins $70. VIP/YHA discounts available. MC/V.) Exchange Hotel , 3km south of the town center on Manning River Dr., has laundry ($3), BBQ, and a kitchen. (☎02 6552 2857; www.twilightcaravanpark.com.au. Prices vary between seasons. Linen $7.50 per person.)
Catch breakfast or lunch at Raw Sugar , 39 Manning St., (☎02 6551 1000) will wok ingredients of your choice into a bowl of noodles for $9-12. (Open daily 11am-9pm. Cash only.) Manning St. also has a large Coles supermarket. (☎02 6552 1611. Open daily 6am-11pm.)
Beaches. The beaches near Taree are gorgeous and inviting but have unexpected currents, so swim only where patrolled. The closest is Old Bar Beach, a 15min. drive southeast from the town center on Old Bar Rd. Wallabi Point, to the south, offers great surfing and surfboard riding, and Saltwater National Park has a swimming lagoon. Farther south, Hallidays Point includes the well-known Diamond Beach and Black Head Beach. Crowdy Head, the site of a lighthouse lookout, is a 40min. drive to the north.
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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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