:: Within Two Hours

Port Macquarie is a beautiful coastal town on the banks of the Hastings River, which has a progressive local council committted to ensuring that the devlopment of the town continues whilst still maintaining the feeling of relaxed and simple lifestyles.   Port Macquarie  is a modern town set in a beautiful natural environment with a laid-back style and close links with the natural environment. Although it boasts a vibrant cultural, shopping and dining precinct and it is also at the centre of a wine region, its main atrractions are its wonderfully mellow climate and the natural beauty of the country all around it. Drive in any direction from Port Macquarie for two hours and you will pass through varied and amazing scenery like no other place in the world. Head south for an easy drive of 4.5 hours and you will find yourself in Sydney.

There is a world famous surfing spot at Big Nobby Headland at Crescent Head ,which is not surprising as this stretch of coast is a watersport enthusiast's heaven with sailing - rivers and ocean, fishing, rowing, surfing,  long uncrowded golden beaches, estauries, and the pacific ocean offering wonderful opportunites for dolphin and whale watching.

The Sea Acres Nature Reserve just south of the town, is the largest and most diverse in the region. The rainforest runs right down to the beach, so you can enjoy the stillness and beauty or the roar of the surf. Sea Acres was dedicated as a nature reserve in 1987, and was the first coastal landscape to attract a Heritage Listing for the 'preservation of an area containing an outstanding remnant of coastal rainforest'. The Treetops Boardwalk is a 1.5 km wheelchair accessible boardwalk with gentle grades. Descriptive signs are provided.

Another National park in this area is Dooragan. Local Aboriginal legend tells of the death of three brothers. North Brother Mountain, at the heart of the park, is the resting place of Dooragan, the youngest. The mountain supports a wide range of vegetation communities - including some of the best examples of old growth blackbutt forest in NSW and pockets of sub-tropical rainforest - that provide habitat for gliders, bats and koalas and offer unbeatable views up and down the NSW coast