We have spent a week in Port Macquarie, its a lovely town and well worth visiting. We spent a couple of days exploring the history of the place.

We spent Tuesday in the town centre visited. 
Wesleyan Chapel, the old Courthouse

and while I wandered thru the Museum Fred went for a walk and looked at the water and found people to chat to. 

Stopped for a coffee in the shopping centre before going on to St Thomas’s Church

which was built by convict labor, the church was really lovely and quite unusual in that the pews are all fenced in little areas where the worshipers can’t see each other, it was built this way so that the hierarchy couldn’t see or be seen by the convicts.

They even allowed people to climb up into the belltower where we had a really great view of the whole of Port Macquarie.

I had to fight my inner devil not to pull on the ropes and ring the bell.
I have been really impressed by the enthusiasm and friendliness of all the volunteers everywhere we went.

Tuesday 

This morning we explored the Old Town Cemetery

and did the nature walk around Kooloonbung Creek and Nature Reserve. The walk was 5km thru bushland around the creeks.

It was a combination of boardwalks and well formed track.

Then drove out and had a look at Settlement Point then onward to the Old Hibbard Boatyard where enthusiast are restoring old wooden boats

and a bit of nostalgia taking us back to Tumbulgum when we used to cross the river by ferry as we watched a small ferry taking cars across the river.

 

Wednesday

Today we went to Tacking Point Lighthouse saw a few Whales and a pod of Dolphins.

Next stop was SeaAcres Nature Reserve we didn’t bother doing the Forest boardwalk at $7 per person we figured we have walked thru enough wetland tracks for free and seen similar flora and fauna. 
From there we went to Nobby’s Obelisk which was a really nice walking track to a memorial Obelisk out on Nobby’s Point and great views of the coastline.

On to Macquarie Nature Reserve where we had a look thru Roto House which is a restored homestead of one of Port Macquarie’s early settlers.

The reserve is also home to the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital which you can walk around and look at the facility and any koala’s they have in residence.

Also had a very pleasant picnic lunch here.

Then went to Lilypond Reserve to do another walk this one was a bit disappointing only took 5 minutes as it was a small park, sounded much bigger in the brochure.

From there to Flagstaff Hill and a walk out to the point.