Caves Beachside Hotel

Cruise The Hastings River to Timbertown Heritage P

by Mikebb

We took a day trip to Timbertown Heritage Park at Wauhope approximately an hour by ferry from Port Macquarie. Our 40 seat ferry left the town wharf at 10am and we had an enjoyable cruise on the wide waters of the Hastings River, at times reaching a speed of 12 knots, at other times moving very slowly as we negotiated a shallow channel between sand bars. Along the way we passed the Vehicular Punt which transfers vehicles to the other side of the river, passed the oyster farms, fish farms and the everchanging riverbanks which sometimes had treed banks and often faced straight onto farmland. For half the trip I went outside to the bow and enjoyed the breeze onto my face.
On arrival at Timbertown we spent several hours in the park enjoying the show and the many exhibits. After lunch we returned to our ferry and returned to Port Macquarie, however the Captain decided to give us a bonus and we went looking for dolphins, having found them we spent 20 minutes chasing them and trying to get a good photo (extremely difficult). We were then taken for a tour of the canals and the luxury homes eventually returning to the wharf just before 5pm. An exceptionally good day.
Cost of the day was Au$59 per person including morning tea and lunch.

Billabong

by iandsmith

Billabong in Australia is a bend in the river that the river has since bypassed but a small lake or pond remains. Other countries may call them ox-bow lakes.
Having divulged that, this is not a billabong. No, it's The Billabong, a tourist attraction that opened mid-80's right next to the Pacific Highway.
What it offers is an animal experience, sometimes hands-on. There's also the usual cafe, souvenir shop and other side attractions.
This place has gone through a few owners. The original eccentric who opened it up was supplanted by an aboriginal co-operative but, in 2004, it has new owners who hopefully will bring new life to this worthy attraction.
This is a shot of the gardens adjacent to the entry bridge.

Holiday destination on the Mid North Coast.

by Jerelis

"One of the best?"

Port Macquarie is a large and attractive holiday destination on the Mid North Coast. In our opinion it must be one of the best tourist destinations on the New South Wales coast.

"Mid North Coast"

Port Macquarie is part of the Mid North Coast of New South Wales is one of Australia's best getaway locations. It provides hundreds of kilometres of sandy beaches, picturesque lakes and waterways, beautiful mountain ranges and hinterland.