Macquarie: a perfect port of call

By HYLDA APPS

Golden beaches, shining seas, cloudless skies and endless sunny days to enjoy the leisure lifestyle.

Sound like the Gold Coast? No, it's the city of Port Macquarie, population 35,000, on the Holiday Coast of New South Wales. It's a great stopover on an interstate trip, being 420km north of Sydney and 510km south of Brisbane. And if you want to stay longer it is perfect for a family holiday.

Last summer my husband and I decided to stay overnight in Port Macquarie on a driving holiday down the east coast. We were immediately attracted to this attractive city set against vistas of mountains and sea.

Named after Governor Lachlan Macquarie, the city of Port Macquarie had an inauspicious start as a convict settlement. St Thomas Anglican Church on the hill is the best-known convict landmark, built when Port Macquarie was still part of the Diocese of Calcutta.

The courthouse and officers' barracks have been carefully refurbished and the museum has interesting displays of Victorian colonial life. But today, as Port Macquarie enjoys a tourist boom, these buildings are cheek-by-jowl with the modern Port Central shopping centre.

A week after our first visit we returned so our Sydney-based nephews could share our enthusiasm.

Summer temperatures averaged 29 deg C, and we were assured that ocean swimming was excellent from October till April.

The young ones were endlessly entertained by the wide range of water activities, including Flynn's Beach, the traditional mecca for surfers.

On a Hastings River cruise we were entranced by dolphins playing in the bow-wave. We were able to charter a boat for reef and deep-sea fishing.

Then there's skydiving, sailboarding, camel-riding along Lighthouse Beach and the waterslides at Peppermint Park.

On one day we took a 4WD Eco Adventure tour through nearby mountains and a national park, which included a scenic walk on a remote coastal headland.

It wasn't difficult to find great accommodation. A full range was catered for - beachside backpackers' hostels, camping grounds, comfortable family motels and international resorts.

The Four Points Hotel Sheraton, a 120-room resort hotel, will soon rise on the waterfront above the recently refurbished historic Royal Hotel.

When it came to nosheries, we were able to choose from all-you-can- eat brunches and lunches, elegant cafes, al fresco dining at riverside restaurants, or banqueting at a five-star restaurant. International cuisine was a feature of a recent tourism display held on the waterfront, with a selection of Asian, Thai, Mexican, Italian, Continental and Australian seafood.

Good food needs good wine, so we visited nearby Cassegrain Winery, an international medal-winner. We sampled their vintages in cellar tastings before enjoying an epicurean meal in their restaurant.

Our final decision was inevitable. We decided to join the increasing number of Kiwis who, when retired, want to call Australia home. The attractions of Port Macquarie captivated us as an alternative to the Gold Coast. It offered a beach lifestyle - but minus heat, humidity, frenetic pace and traffic and housing density.

Good houses are reasonably priced compared to Auckland. At the top end of the market, luxury apartments overlooking the sea are magnificent. A block of 55 deluxe apartments is being built alongside the Hastings River.

Estates cater for the more mature lifestyle and there are retirement villages and also villages of relocatable homes at very affordable prices.

There are great golf courses in the city and at nearby Wauchope and excellent tennis and bowling clubs, most with extras ranging from meals to poker-machines and entertainment.

The artistic activities might make many a European city envious and the choirs, orchestras, bands and theatre groups are very active. The RSL Club features national and international stars.

Education institutes provide those who have retired with tuition in computers, languages, arts and crafts, sports, boating, painting and a host of other subjects. And there's a library with internet access.

A regional art gallery provides wide-ranging exhibitions, including contemporary Australian and Aboriginal art.

The progressive council plans to provide Port Macquarie with a Performing Arts Centre where top national productions can be staged. And eventually there will be a soundshell and tiered seating for concerts by the ocean.

A high-speed train is expected to be running by 2015, providing Port Macquarie with a commuter service along the east coast. It will provide a 90-minute service to Sydney and a two-hour service to Brisbane.

So if you decide on Port Macquarie you'll be able to enjoy the best of both worlds.

CASENOTES

CRUISING: Two-hour cruise with Devonshire tea. Adult $A20, child $8, Family $49. Port Venture River Cruises, ph (00612) 6583 3058, fax (00612) 6584 2866.

SAILBOARDING: $11 an hour for learners, $16.50 a lesson including board hire. Catamarans, kayaks and canopy boats also available. Jordans Boating Centre, ph (00612) 6583 1005.

PEPPERMINT PARK: $14.90 each. Family of three $43, family of four $56.Ph (00612) 6583 6111, fax (00612) 6583 6635.

WILDLIFE: A 20-minute camel ride which, until August, includes whale-spotting at Lighthouse Beach. Adult $13, child $9. Port Macquarie Camel Safaris, ph (00612) 6583 7650.

OTHER TOURS: Day tour of the mountains. Adult $80, child $50. Lunch included. Macquarie Mountain Tours, ph (00612) 6585 1742. Cassegrain Winery, 764 Fernbank Creek Rd. Ph (00612) 6583 7777.

CONTACT: More information is available from Port Macquarie Visitors Centre, PO Box 129, Port Macquarie, New South Wales 2444. Ph (00612) 6581 8000, fax (00612) 8010.