Port Macquarie

North Coast

This popular holiday destination boasts a great year-round climate for enjoying the adjacent Hastings River estuary and ocean beaches.

B Grouping

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Location

Located on the Mid North Coast of NSW, Port Macquarie is 384 km (4.5 hr drive) north of Sydney and 542 km (6 hr drive) south of Brisbane.

Port Macquarie is a large coastal town adjacent to the mouth of the Hastings River and ocean beaches, with its diverse local attractions and busy events calendar, it's a popular holiday destination.

How to get there

Port Macquarie Airport is 4.5 km from Port Macquarie’s town centre. Qantas and Virgin Australia operate daily services to Sydney. Virgin Australia also operates direct services to Brisbane and Qantas operates seasonal summer services (October - May) from Port Macquarie to Lord Howe Island.

Population

Port Macquarie is home to nearly 45,000 people, the median age of residents is 47 years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make up 4% of the population.

The town is located in the North Coast Primary Health Network, this needs assessment provides an insight into population health across the North Coast community.

Healthcare facilities

Port Macquarie Base Hospital is a major referral hospital for the Hastings-Macleay Network. With 195 beds, it provides the majority of specialist medical and surgical services for the network. The hospital includes specialist wards/units for general medicine, surgery, day surgery, planned and emergency theatre service, coronary care, intensive care, obstetrics, paediatrics, 24 hour emergency department, oncology, palliative care, rehabilitation, stroke, acute renal dialysis, high dependency and mental health and an extensive range of outpatient clinics.

Allied health services, including occupational therapy, speech pathology, social work, physiotherapy, dietetics, radiology, pathology, and pharmacy, are also available.

There is an Ambulance Service of NSW station in Port Macquarie.

Accredited GP practices

Five Star Medical Centre
Flynns Beach Medical Centre
Focus Medical Centre
Greenmeadows Medical
Port Family Practice
Port Macquarie GP Super Clinic
Port Macquarie Medical and Dental Centre
Port Macquarie Skin Cancer Clinic
Port Skin Clinic
The Good Shepherd Medical and Dental Centre
The Grange Family Medical Centre
Werin Medical Clinic
Westside Medical Centre

Industry

The major industry sectors employing residents of Port Macquarie are: hospitals (except psychiatric hospitals), aged care residential services, cafes and restaurants, secondary education and electricity distribution

Education

Port Macquarie offers an array of schooling opportunities with public and private primary and secondary schools. There is also North Coast TAFE - Port Macquarie Campus and Charles Sturt University - Port Macquarie Campus.

Childcare

For young families the Port Macquarie region offers a wide range of options including occasional care, long day care, family day care, pre-school and out of school hour care.

Shopping

Port Macquarie is well placed for shopping with supermarkets including Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, Spar and IGA. Major retailers such as Target, Kmart, Officeworks and Big W are all located in Port Macquarie. There is also a range of local and national specialty and boutique stores, services, cafes and restaurants.

Places of worship

There are many places of worship located in Port Macquarie, including Anglican, Australian Christian, Baptist, Catholic, Jehovah’s Witness, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Salvation Army, Seventh Day Adventist and Uniting churches. There is also a Buddhist Centre located in Port Macquarie.

Points of interest

There are many sights and activities to be enjoyed in Port Macquarie and surrounds including the Koala Hospital and Billabong Zoo Koala and Wildlife Park, Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail, coastal walk and rainforest centre in Sea Acres National Park, Port Macquarie Museum and the beautiful Hastings River wine region. Water-based activities from ocean swimming and surfing to whale watching are drawcards for the area. Events, entertainment, markets and exhibitions are listed in Port Macquarie Events.

Sporting activities

There is a large range of sporting facilities and sporting clubs in Port Macquarie including athletics, baseball, basketball, cricket, football, golf, hockey, martial arts, netball, swimming and surfing. The Port Macquarie-Hastings Council Community Directory provides a listing of many sporting teams.

Community groups and activities

There are many community, service and environmental groups in the Port Macquarie area including Lions, CWA, Rotary, Toastmasters, Surf Lifesaving and Landcare. The Port Macquarie-Hastings Council Community Directory provides a listing of groups.