Port Macquarie



Port Macquarie is a large town in Macquarie County on the mid-North Coast, New South Wales, Australia, located about 390 km north of Sydney, and 570km south of Brisbane. The town is located on the coast, south of the mouth of the Hastings River. The nearest railway town is Wauchope about 19 kilometres to the west.

History
The site of Port Macquarie was first visited by Europeans in 1818 when John Oxley reached the Pacific Ocean from the interior, after his journey to explore inland New South Wales. He named the location after the Governor of New South Wales, Lachlan Macquarie.

Oxley noted that 'the port abounds with fish, the sharks were larger and more numerous than I have ever before observed. The forest hills and rising grounds abounded with large kangaroos and the marshes afford shelter and support to innumerable wild fowl. Independent of the Hastings River, the area is generally well watered, there is a fine spring at the very entrance to the Port'. During 1821 the city was founded as a penal settlement for convicts sentenced for crimes committed in NSW. In 1823 the first sugar cane to be cultivated in Australia was planted there. The region was opened to settlers in 1830 after it was decided to abandon Port Macquarie as a penal settlement. It was soon being settled having the good pastoral land, timber resources and fisheries that it did. In 1840 the “Wool Road” from the Northern Tablelands was under construction to enable wool and other produce to be shipped from the port. Port Macquarie was declared a municipality in 1887.

St Thomas’ Anglican Church was built by convicts under military supervision during 1824-1828. This church is among the oldest in Australia. Inside there are red cedar box pews that were peculiar to that period in church architecture. The Walker Pipe Organ is the only one of its type in the southern hemisphere.The castellated tower permits excellent views of the coastline, town and river. This church is now classified by the National Trust of Australia (NSW) and it is also registered on the National Estate.

Over 20 shipwrecks occurred in the Tacking Point area before a lighthouse was designed by James Barnet and erected there in 1879 by Shepard and Mortley. Tacking Point Lighthouse is classified by the National Trust of Australia(NSW).

General
Much of the land used to build the town's shopping centres and other structures in recent years was originally owned by the Roman Catholic Church, who many claim are in large part responsible for the town's growth and development.

Port Macquarie is a popular retirement location and popular tourist destination. It is known for its extensive pristine beaches and untouched waterways. The town is also known for its koala population, with many tourists referring to it as the Koala Capital of the world. The Billabong Koala Park is a popular attraction. Port Macquarie is the home of the Koala Preservation Society's Koala Hospital. The Koala Hospital cares for koalas injured through bushfire, dog attacks and collisions with vehicles.

In recent times, Port Macquarie has become more commercialised despite protest from residents, in particular the Rydges Hotel (formerly Four Points by Sheraton) built opposite the Town Green attracted much opposition. The historical Port Macquarie Post Office on the Town Green was torn down to make way for a new high rise apartment block. Town Beach also has high rise apartment complexes.

The residential suburbs stretch as far as Lighthouse Beach to the south, Thrumster to the west and Settlement Point to the north. Settlement Point now also has new canal development, being one of the most expensive real estate developments in the town. More recently, Sovereign Hills (Area 13) has begun development in the west. It will include a new school, shopping facilities and residential areas.

In the 2006 Census the wider area of the Hastings Valley had a total population of 68,429 up 9.5% from the 2001 Census.

Beaches
Beaches include (in order from north to south): North Shore, Town Beach, Oxley Beach, Rocky Beach, Flynns Beach, Nobbys Beach, Shelly Beach, Miners Beach and Lighthouse Beach. Only Town, Flynns and Lighthouse Beaches are manned by Surf Life Saving Clubs, and Lighthouse is only watched at the north end. There is also an active surf culture with the beaches being the main tourist attraction.

Public schools

 * Port Macquarie Primary School
 * Westport Public School
 * Hastings Public School
 * Tacking Point Public School

Catholic schools

 * St. Joseph's Primary
 * St. Peter's Primary
 * St. Agnes' Primary

Other private schools

 * St Columba Anglican School
 * Adventist Primary School
 * Heritage Christian School

Public schools

 * Port Macquarie High School
 * Westport High School

Private schools

 * St. Joseph's High School (Catholic, incorporating Regional and St. Paul's junior campuses and MacKillop Senior College)
 * St. Columba Anglican School
 * Heritage Christian School
 * Australian Technical College (years 11-12; formerly Vocational College, a part of St. Joseph's High School)

Other educational facilities
There is also a TAFE campus for further qualifications. Courses are also offered by the University of Newcastle through the TAFE campus.

Transport links
Port Macquarie is linked by daily air services to both Sydney and Brisbane.

Road access is via the Pacific and Oxley Highways. The Pacific Highway lies between Port Macquarie and Wauchope, and is the main road for tourists travelling from coastal areas. Improvements to the Oxley and Pacific Highway has seen steady improvements in travel times between Sydney and the mid-north coast region from 6 hours to just 4 hours (from Wahroonga to the Oxley Highway interchange);

The four proposed or in-construction road projects that are underway:

   . The Bulahdelah bypass/upgrade will fill the only missing link between Hexham and Port Macquarie once the Karuah to Bulahdelah section(s) 2 and 3 and the Coopernook to Herons Creek upgrades are open in 2009.
 * Karuah to Bulahdelah section 2 and 3 - Under construction (Karuah to Bulahdelah section 1 - Completed December 2006 ).
 * Bulahdelah Bypass - Early works commenced in November 2007.
 * Coopernook to Herons Creek - Under construction.
 * The Oxley Highway upgrade, from a 2 lane undivided road to a 4-lane divided carriageway, from Wrights Road to the Pacific Highway, stage 1 - Pre-construction.

These four projects are all from the AusLink funding on a 50/50 "joint basis" from the Commonwealth and the state of NSW (50% from Commonwealth Government and the other 50% from the NSW Government.

Rail access to Port Macquarie is via bus transfer from the North Coast Railway Line which stops at Wauchope (19 km inland).

Port Macquarie Airport has regular flights to Sydney with QantasLink and Virgin Blue, and also to Lord Howe Island with QantasLink.

Annual events

 * Festival of the Sun (December)
 * Sundowner BREAM Classic (November)