Coffs Harbour – Nambucca Heads – Kempsey – Port Macquarie

Got an early start and took breakfast at a lovely little café in the centre of town. Then wandered out to the markets down at the harbour. A great little spot under large shady trees. There was also a great Yacht Club and marina as well as dog beaches and a really friendly environment to all. Another nice spot.

Decided to move on to Nambucca Heads. Another great little spot surrounded by lovely white sandy beaches, lovely inlet and green grassy hills. A busy little holiday town.

Next we drove through Kempsey. Birth place of Slim Dusty. A sad faded little town with a pie shop professing to selling 50 different pies. I chose the beef burgundy which was really average. They did have kangaroo and crocodile but I didn’t pluck up the courage to try one.

Another 50kms down the road was Port Macquarie. A sad historical town where repeat offenders were first sent to manufacture lime. Apparently they were permanently scarred by the burns to their hands and eyes and most of the historical buildings dating from 1821 are gone. There is just one canon remaining from Goal Point as back then it was only accessibly by sea so it was a sad place with a bad history. But you have to look hard to find these signs to the past. Today it’s a thriving well designed metropolis with nice apartment buildings lining the grassy well treed hills and rocky outcrops lining the entrance to the heads. A very pleasant overall appearance and well made streets, manicured gardens and lots of trees around the town.