This former convict town rocks
A weekend in Port Macquarie
The Rydges on Hay Street in Port Macquarie owns the best vantage point of the sweeping aquamarine expanse of the River Hastings and the deep blue foamy-crested ocean, divided by a narrow strip of bushland. We pitch up late on a Saturday afternoon to find a crowd of frocked-up wedding guests. The reception is in the hotel’s Zebu Restaurant & Bar. I take a look at the menu, clock the oysters and make a booking for Sunday night.
The Bon Vista from our 5th floor balcony
The Rydges on Hay St is a big old building in what I think of as the brutalist style of architecture, all concrete and flat unadorned surfaces. We have a 2- bedroom apartment on the 5th floor with a broad balcony facing the sea. It’s utilitarian, with little in the way of decoration, but it’s fine for our family of 5. The 3 kids fit into one room and have their own bathroom. And we luxuriate in a large King bed and ensuite. There’s also a washing machine and dryer, a kitchen and a dining table for six.
The two kids throw down their cases, wriggle into togs and head out the door to the pool. It’s heated, so they can stay in until after dark. The teenager takes up position on the banana lounger and hubbie and I go for a walk to suss the lay of the land. Dusk at summertime casts long golden shadows over the waterside path, which is lined with hand-painted rocks. The breakwater is a riot of rainbows, hearts, suns, moons, stick figures, sharks and poems, odes to love, families, friends, holidays and loved ones. It has become a town icon.
The path passes by the Town Beach and continues south for 9km through seven more sandy coves until Tacking Point Lighthouse. We persuade the kids to do part of the walk from Shelly Beach on the Sunday afternoon. It’s a 5.4km fairly arduous round trip, as you walk across sand and up and down cliffs. But it’s a gorgeous walk. From the Rydges to Tacking Point Lighthouse would take at least 3 hours, or the whole day if you did a round trip and had lunch along the way. It is the cutest lighthouse, like a Greek-island home in its gleaming coat of blue and white. Not too far out to sea, we spot a pair of humpback whales breaching. It’s such a magical sight.
Port Macquarie was established in 1821 as a jail for convicts, as if it wasn’t bad enough for those poor sods, and a remnant feeling of antiquity can be found on Clarence St, home to the Port Macquarie Museum and the Historic Courthouse (which are just behind the Rydges). Together, these buildings exude an aura of subdued grace that offsets the usual brashness of seaside towns. Who’d have thought! The heart of Port Macquarie feels graciously historic.
Alas, we have not pre-booked a restaurant and there is no space for us at the ones I want to try on a Saturday night. It’s a shame because they are mostly within a short hop of our hotel and it’s always a pleasure to be able to walk to dinner. A take-away meal from Tuk Tuk Thai has to suffice and it’s not bad if eaten on the balcony of our room with a good bottle of wine. We’ll have to return to try Bill’s Fishhouse & Bar and the Botanic Wine Garden.
I spend a happy Sunday morning browsing the Glasshouse Regional Gallery (also close by). It’s a real treat. The Gallery shop has a great range of handicrafts too. The Glasshouse Complex includes a 588-seat theatre, so look out for their upcoming shows if you’re planning a visit.
“Napoleon in Exile”, 2019, a linocut by Rew Hanks, which featured in an exhibition of Sydney printmakers at the Glasshouse Gallery when I visited
We make good on our reservation at Zebu on Sunday night, and I’m salivating at the thought of a dozen local oysters and a glass of riesling. I tell you this, because, oh dear, the menu is limited to a few pizzas and pastas on Sundays, and these turn out to be almost inedible, although they’re delivered with great charm by the cheerful waitress. If you’re staying at the Rydges on a Sunday night, get yourself out of there - the Corner Restaurant on Clarence St looks good and is open 7 days.
Confusingly, there are two Rydges in Port Macquarie, so make sure you end up at the right hotel. Sails at Port Macquarie by Rydges has been recently renovated and is fancier than the plain old Rydges, but what it makes up for in style it lacks in position and panorama. The view is of the marina or the city and it’s a 20-minute walk from Sails to the heart of Clarence St and its posse of restaurants, bars, shops and Gallery. Not a challenge for the grown-ups, but perhaps one for those with young kids, lazy teens, or the elderly.
Good for smoothies and juices and simple fare such as toasties
We drive to Port Macquarie from Tamworth via the Oxley Highway and Walcha. It’s a rollicking ride with, literally, hundreds of bends, so not for the fainthearted or those in a hurry. If you take this route, make sure to stop in Walcha, which is the most immaculate town I’ve ever seen. The public ladies loos were spotless and some thoughtful soul had placed a lovely flower bouquet in a glass jar on the sink top. Walcha’s outdoor sculptures and artworks, known as the Open Air Gallery, have made the town a legend. Graze café on the main street has a chic atmosphere and sells jars of yummy things, but it was closing as we arrived. The Royal Hotel has a pretty garden and good value food.
Flowers in the public ladies’ loo at Walcha
Our 2 nights in Port Macquarie went so fast we missed the Koala Hospital, Bago Maze & Winery, Mrs York’s Garden, Kattang Nature Reserve and all the recommended restaurants. For a town of retirees and National Party supporters (70% at the last election), it’s a surprisingly happening place. I’d recommend making a long weekend of it.
EXTRA
A Saturday and Sunday night at Rydges on Hay St cost us $1100, excluding breakfast. For that, try the Little Shack, a 5 min walk along the coastal path, or Drury Lane Eatery in the leafy square behind the hotel. Their coffee is very good.
https://www.rydges.com/accommodation/port-macquarie-nsw/
https://www.glasshouse.org.au/Home
https://botanicwinegarden.com.au/
To Read
The Soldier’s Curse, by Meg Keneally and her famous father Thomas, is set in the penal colony of Port Macquarie. It is the first book in their Monsarrat crime series. I haven’t read it, but it couldn’t be more relevant.