The 100th Wauchope Show | Port Macquarie Hastings Attractions

The time is drawing close for a huge celebration. Wauchope, located just 20 minutes drive from Port Macquarie is holding the 100th Wauchope Show on Friday 16th & Saturday 17th April 2010.

All events will take place at the Wauchope Showground, Oxley Highway, Wauchope and the events are set to make this event a memorable one with something for all the family.

Gates open at 8am each day and attractions include a complete sideshow with rides and showbags for the kids, Wood Chopping events, Miss Showgirl, Rodeo Riding, Show Jumping, Poultry Displays, Boer Goats, Beef Cattle, a grand parade not to mention the pavillions full of great things to see.

If you’re planning a Port Macquarie Holiday during this week in April, then be sure not to miss all that the Wauchope 100th Show is set to offer.

Werrikimbe National Park

Ask the people of Port Macquarie the best place in the Hastings to visit when you are in the mood to get away from the hustle and bustle of civilisation, and chances are you’ll receive a common reply: Werrikimbe National Park. Just over an hour of scenic driving will see you arrive on the doorstep of this amazing world heritage wonderland.

The ambiance of Werrikimbe will definitely make a visitor feel as if they have stepped into a wilderness scene from an action movie! However, it is all real and magnificent as well. Situated on the edge of a plateau in the area that is known as the Great Dividing Range, the park is a relatively new one, established in 1976. This area was extended in 1982, and now covers a land span of 333.06 km, giving those who love and appreciate nature even more space to explore and admire.
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More on the Tacking Point Lighthouse

A coastal town such as Port Macquarie wouldn’t be quite the same without a lighthouse, and the one that is here is small, but mighty. Visitors to the area will want to see Tacking Point Lighthouse, which is situated on the headland at none other than Tacking Point. It is the 3rd oldest lighthouse in all of Australia, and named for its location. Explorer Matthew Flinders named this area in 1802. He chose the name because he just happened to sail through the area to change out his tack.

The history of Tacking Point is colorful and interesting. Many people had complained that a lighthouse was sorely needed in this area for quite some time before one was finally built. There were not very many lights in this area, and Tacking Point was a place that most ships had found very difficult to maneuver around due to the very rocky shore. As a result, there was a large number of shipwrecks here, more than 20 all told. The decision was made to construct a lighthouse.
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More on St. Thomas’ Church

If you are fortunate enough to be facing in the proper direction when you step out of your Port Macquarie holiday accommodation, you may be able to see St. Thomas’ Church. It is located atop a hill, and is probably one of the best spots in town to get a great view of the city as well as the shore. This small church has the distinction of being the fifth oldest Anglican church that is still being used in Australia, and as such is quite special.

St. Thomas’ Church has a very interesting history. Like many structures built in the early 1800s, it was built entirely by slave labour in 1824, which was during the time that Port Macquarie was still a penal settlement. The military kept these convicts under strict supervision to make sure they worked as they had been instructed to do. It took about 4 years to completely build the church, and the first service was held in 1828. Those present during that monumental first gathering were prisoners as well as military personnel. Once Port Macquarie’s population began to increase with the arrival of settlers, these people also began to attend the church.
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More on the Mid North Coast Maritime Museum

Perhaps one of the most interesting of all attractions in the Port Macquarie NSW area is the Mid North Coast Maritime Museum. Visitors of all ages are sure to enjoy the many exhibits in this museum that showcase and explain some of the many shipwrecks that have taken place in and around the western Australian coast. The maritime history that is a part of Australia’s past has a home here in this beautiful facility. History buffs as well as children studying the history of this country will all find something here to enthrall them. Exhibits change often throughout the year, so there is always a good reason for a repeat visit!

The Mid North Coast Maritime is known as a world class museum, and is well worth the small admission charge 0f $10.00 for adults and $3.00 for children. There is also a Family Entry fee that admits up to 2 adults and 4 children for $22.00. Visitors are able to enjoy the various shipwreck galleries, some of which have wreckage that goes back as far as the 17th century.
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Lake Innes Ruins

Port Macquarie, Australia has many attractions and venues for visitors to the area. If you are a history buff, you’ll definitely want to add a trip to the Lake Innes Ruins to your list of activities to visit. The Lake Innes house was the home of entrepreneur Major Archibald Clunes Innes, who was an influential settler in this area. Innes spent some time stationed at the Port Macquarie penal settlement, and had also purchased quite a lot of land in the area as well as a few businesses. He felt that he was really a part of the community. Since he liked the Port Macquarie area, in 1880 he decided to use the 1039 hectares of land that he had received in a land grant, and have himself a lovely home built on part of it.

But, Innes’ decision to settle here was not without some crafty business sense. Innes had given some thought to what Port Macquarie would be like in the future, and thought that it would be in his best interests to live prominently in the area. He was sure that Port Macquarie would become an important connection to the coastal regions nearby, particularly the Hastings River and New England areas. Obviously, Major Innes wanted to be close to the action, and to be a part of it, too.
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Kattang Nature Reserve

A visit to Kattang Nature Reserve will be fondly remembered by you and your family for years to come. While on holiday at one of the immaculate Port Macquarie hotels, you will definitely want to make the time to check out this shining gem of the NSW coast. Kattang Nature Reserve is 58 hectares of rugged beauty, and this area was made into a reserve in 1983 by the Save the Headland Action Group for the purpose of maintaining the scenic nature of each hectare. It is proudly listed on the Australian Register of the National Estate.

What can you expect to see when you visit the Kattang Nature Reserve? First of all, the views are just stunning. A case in point is the unbelievably awesome Perpendicular Point, which is the standout feature of the entire nature reserve. Situated in the middle of the reserve, it juts out like an arm or leg into the sea. It is difficult to express in words the beauty and majesty of the Point’s vertical cliff faces that drop 40 meters to the sea below.
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Dooragan National Park

Dooragan National Park is one of the most popular attractions in Port Macquarie NSW for visitors and their families. Local folklore asserts that three brothers were killed, and each of them was buried in the area where the mountains are standing, one brother per mountain. The youngest brother to be buried beneath the north mountain went by the name of Dooragan, and it was he who the park was named after. In the year 1770, the explorer Captain Cook gave these mountains the name of Three Brothers without knowing of the tale of the three brothers buried there. This nickname is still used at times today.

In 1892, this area became a timber reserve, and it wasn’t too long before it had been given the name of Camden Haven State Forest. As the years passed, parts of the mountain were used for logging, but there were also parts that remained untouched. It was not until the year 1970 that a road was built that would go all the way up to the mountain’s summit.
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Crowdy Bay National Park

Crowdy Bay National Park is located in New South Wales, and quite near to Port Macquarie. This area gets quite a few visitors, in part because of the close proximity to the park. Crowdy Bay is a good sized park of around 8022 hectares, and includes some of almost every type of scenery and landscape that Mother Nature has supplied to the earth. A volcanic crater, better known as Diamond Head, is one of the most noticeable landscape features. Also, the restored writing hut of Australian author Kylie Tennant is nestled at the base of Diamond Head. This history behind this hut is fascinating, and the structure is considered to be a cultural attraction of some importance.

Nature lovers, get ready! At Crowdy Bay National Park, you’ll be able to appreciate a wide range of animals, including the koala, wallabies, pygmy possum, grey kangaroo, and the rufous betong. Several varieties of snakes, lizards, and tortoises also live in the park. You’ll find many beautiful wild flowers as well as scattered clumps of forest that include melaleuca, turpentine, rosewood and black wattle trees.
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More on the Boorganna Nature Reserve

If you are like most travellers, during your stay in Port Macquarie, you’ll more than likely go in search of something fun and interesting to do . You’ll find there are many attractions and venues in the area that you will want to make certain to visit. One of these is the Boorganna Nature Reserve. A tour of this lovely setting is a perfect way for visitors to spend a morning or afternoon feeling at one with nature.

The Boorganna Nature Reserve is the second oldest of its kind in all of New South Wales. The name Boorganna is an old one indeed. No one is quite sure exactly where the name came from, as the Aboriginal natives who once lived here left no clues as to its meaning. Those who have studied this area agree that the name was apparently taken from two varieties of trees that grow freely here.
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