THE BEAUTIFUL BEACHES OF PORT MACQUARIE
If you’ve read my first Port Macquarie post you’ll know that I just loved visiting Port Macquarie. One of the reasons I did was Port Macquarie’s beaches, the little town has 8 beaches along its Eastern boundary, 1 in the North (over the Hastings Rivers) and 1 in the South around the corner from the Lighthouse.
There are some amazing beaches in Port Macquarie – absolutely stunning. Along Pacific Drive you can find 8 beaches alone.
Starting from the North and moving South here is a list of Port Macquarie’s Beaches:
Town Beach
Flagstaff Beach
Oxley Beach
Rocky Beach
Flynn’s Beach
Nobby’s Beach
Shelly Beach
Miners Beach
So when wanting to hit the beaches in Port Mac it can be hard to choose. Thankfully there are different beaches for different types of activities.
The two most talked about beaches for swimming and boarding activities are Town Beach and Flynn’s Beach. Both are great beaches to visit and should be checked out when you are there, even if you decide you want something quieter.
Town Beach
Town Beach is is within walking distance of Port Macquarie’s Town Centre – hence the name. This beach is suited to families, with a long stretch of soft sand and various areas good for swimming or surfing.
Town Beach is patrolled either by Council lifeguards or volunteer lifeguards.
If you’re driving there is plenty of parking with easy access onto the beach.
Town’s Beach also has a great path running along it which is good for walking, cycling or scooting. There are big tracts of grass perfect for picnicking and even BBQ facilities. Maybe even get a take-away from town and then go and sit at the beach in the early evening.
We visited Town’s Beach in the early evening and to our delight we saw a pod of whales just 100m offshore, it was an incredible experience.
Flynn’s Beach
Flynn’s Beach shares most of the same facilities as Town’s Beach in that it is patrolled like Town’s, has spots for picnicking or BBQing and is good for families.
Flynn’s Beach isn’t as big as Town Beach but is more natural and secluded. There is parking at the bottom of the Tuppeny Road so I would drive down instead of walk, especially if you are with kids as it is quite a steep hill.
There are some big trees providing shelter and a little kiosk if you want to get some treats while on the beach.
Tacking Point and Lighthouse Beach
In exploring the beaches you would be remiss to not check out Tacking Point Lighthouse. 8 kilometres south of the City centre its not too far.
Operating since 1870, the lighthouse is lovely but the view is spectacular – Shelly Beach to the left and the longest stretch of beautiful beach in the form of Lighthouse Beach.
I don’t know how long the stretch of beach is but come rain or shine its lovely to look at.
If for whatever reason you can’t get to Tacking Point Lighthouse and Lighthouse Beach you can check out a panoramic view of the area on the Greater Port Macquarie website. It gives you a good idea of what you’d be visiting but it doesn’t do the view justice.
Port Macquarie’s Coastal Walk
When reading any promotional material on the beaches from the City or the region you will see reference to THE coastal walk. The Coastal Walk takes you most of the way along the coast line and it looks like a wonderful walk to do. 9km of beach to explore is music to any beach-lover’s ears but you cant do the whole walk if you have little kids or a pram in tow.
There are sections which you cant do so you cant actually do the walk.
With the pram I would aim at walking the following sections:
- Along Town Beach to Flagstaff Beach
- The botton of Flagstaff Hill Lookout to Oxley Beach
- Nobby’s Beach to Shelly Beach
Just a word to the wise: if you’ve got kids and you like to keep your clothes on you should avoid Miner’s Beach.
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If you’re planning a visit or are visiting Port Macquarie check out these links too:
