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Port Macquarie has a stirring history that began almost with the earliest days of European settlement in Australia. Today, the town still has many tangible reminders of that period and these are among its attractions.

The city has a five-star array of beaches, from Town Beach at the very front of the city centre, to the 16 km golden swathe of North Beach on the far side of the Hastings River.

Port Macquarie also has a fine range of accommodation, dining and activity options that make this a favourite for families and an outstanding choice for a holiday base.

History

Port Macquarie became a penal settlement in the 1820s and it was the convicts who cleared the land and established farms, built a stockade, a hospital and a church. Later it became a free settlement and the business centre for the agricultural region of the Hastings Valley. Since the 1960s it has been a popular holiday town.

Things to do

Explore St Thomas’ Anglican Church, built by convict labour between 1824 and 1826.

Cross the Hastings River on the vehicle ferry and visit the Limeburners Creek Nature Reserve and spend the day swimming, bushwalking and wildlife watching.

Taste the wines at Cassegrain Winery.

Events

Camden Haven Music Festival in April brings together virtuoso musicians, who are rarely seen outside major city concert halls, for a week of wonderful music.

Port Macquarie Heritage Festival in March is a two-week event that delves into the history and culture of the region with displays of vintage farm machinery, historic rail trips and river cruises retracing the route of the timber cutters.

Ironman Australia Triathlon in April attracts more than 1,500 competitors from around the world.

Don’t miss

Camel rides along Lighthouse Beach.

The coastal lowland rainforest at Sea Acres Rainforest Centre.

Feeding time at the Macquarie Nature Reserve koala hospital.

Artefacts from the convict era in the Port Macquarie Museum.

The superb panoramas from Gaol Point Lookout.