The Best Things For Kids To Do In Port Macquarie

Whether you’re visiting sick koalas in hospital, filling a bucket with fresh fruit at Ricardo’s Tomatoes, or riding a horse along an empty beach, Port Macquarie has a range of activities designed to keep little and big kids happy.

Here’s our pick of some of the best things for kids to do in Port Macquarie.

Go horse riding in the Hastings

If you have kids aged 10 and up, you can hone your family horse-riding skills under the expert eye of Hastings River Horse Riding equestrians, who will lead you on a slow and steady ride along Grant’s Beach. While riding along the beach to the sound of crashing waves is a glorious adventure, it will also give you a love for the rugged, windswept beaches around Port Macquarie.

Experience Wakulda

Wakulda, Weaving our Stories as One, is an immersive, sound and light show projected onto the façade of the Port Macquarie Historic Courthouse. The moving 10-minute projection will engage young children and help start a conversation about the Birpai people, the traditional owners of the land who are part of Port Macquarie’s rich history. Compulsory viewing.

Whale watching

Head to Tacking Point Lighthouse during whale watching season (from May to November) and you’ll likely be rewarded with a memorable performance from the great marine mammals as they make their way along the so-called Humpback Highway. You can also join Port Jet on a whale-watching tour to see the majestic creatures up close.

Visit the Koala Hospital

The Port Macquarie Koala Hospital is a world first. Established in 1973, the hospital is managed by Koala Conservation Australia whose work includes scientific research, training, koala care, rescues, home care and tree planting. Introduce your children to the plight of wild koalas at the hospital where you can visit rehabilitation yards and the intensive care unit. Billabong Zoo is also dedicated to koala conservation.

Follow the Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail

Children love seeing how many of the 79 one-metre-high hand-painted fibreglass koalas they can find along the Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail in Port Macquarie. Originally designed to remind visitors of the koala care and conservation work being done in the region, the permanent attraction also leads visitors to discover interesting places in and around Port Macquarie.

Bago Maze & Winery

Bago Maze & Winery is located near to Bago Bluff National Park overlooking rolling vineyards and one of the world’s largest hedge mazes. Tell the kids to ‘go and get lost’ and explore the stunning architecturally designed Lilli Pilly maze – which curls its way some 2000m around the property – while you sample some of the outstanding wines produced at the family-run vineyard.

Bago Winery Lily Pilly Maze — Tell the kids to explore the stunning architecturally designed Lilli Pilly maze.

Visit Old Bottlebutt

Families should factor in a visit to the Burrawan State Forest to see Old Bottlebutt, the largest red bloodwood tree in the southern hemisphere. The majestic old dame, which has a girth of 16 metres, has stood for more than two centuries and can be reached via a 600-metre-long track that is accessible for little legs. Don’t forget to point out the forest floor, carpeted in brilliant green mosses, to inspire the next gen of nature lovers.

Old Bottlebutt tree — Old Bottlebutt is the largest red bloodwood tree in the southern hemisphere.

Ricardoes Tomatoes

Ricardoes Tomatoes & Strawberries is a picture-perfect pick-your-own-fruit farm where you can fill a bucket or punnet with hydroponically-grown produce while strolling around the vertical gardens in the greenhouses, which are controlled by state-of-the-art computerised technology. In addition to being able to see, touch and taste the fruit, visitors can enjoy an indulgent afternoon tea of scones slathered with fresh strawberry jam.

Port Macquarie Astronomical Observatory

Teach your children about space and the cosmos by visiting the Port Macquarie Astronomical Observatory on an open night. In addition to the entertaining presentations, visitors can enjoy a tour of the night sky and look through a telescope at the moon, Jupiter and Saturn. Don’t forget to download an astronomy app ahead of your astrological adventure.

Port Macquarie Observatory — Visitors can enjoy a tour of the night sky.

Check out the break wall

Stroll along the southern end of the Port Macquarie breakwall to read the hotch-potch of messages, tributes and memories painted onto the rocks. What began as an art competition in 1995 is now a permanent outdoor gallery that anyone can be part of. The painted section of the break-wall starts at Town Green and hugs the Hastings River toward Town Beach.

Aussies might think they know what Port Stephens is all about – but it’s time to take another look.

You might’ve driven through this NSW coast town. Maybe even stopped for fish and chips or a quick dip. But spend a long weekend in the new Port Stephens , and you’ll seriously regret not doing it sooner. We’re talking treks across beaches, reef dives and up-close time with rescued koalas.

All in all? It only takes a day before you see Port Stephens in a whole new light, and not much longer until it’s locked in as your favourite family destination.

1. Stockton Sand Dunes

Port Stephens incredible Stockton Sand Dunes are the largest moving sand mass in the Southern Hemisphere. They shift like an endless magic trick across the Worimi Conservation Lands , a 4200-hectare coastal co-managed by the Traditional Owners.

Tear over them in a 4WD. Rev through valleys soft as melting ice cream on a quad. Carve down 30-metre slopes on a sandboard. However you choose to cross them, you’re guaranteed a seriously wild ride.

Four rugged 4WDs kick up trails of golden dust as they charge across the sweeping desert landscape. — Chase thrills across shifting sands. (Image: Destination NSW)

2. Scale Tomaree Head Summit Walk

A short climb through bushland opens up to the coastal drama of Tomaree Head . Spot Zenith, Wreck and Box Beaches. See the Fingal Island lighthouse and offshore rookeries where Australia’s rarest seabird, the Gould’s petrel, nests.

History buffs can’t miss the WWII gun emplacements. And if you’re hiking between May and November, bring binoculars. Travelling whales might just be breaching below.

Friends enjoying a scenic walk along the Tomaree Head Summit Walk in Tomaree National Park, Port Stephens. — Climb Tomaree Head for jaw-dropping coastal views. (Image: Destination NSW)

3. Watch out for whales

You’ve seen the spouts of migrating humpbacks and southern right whales from shore. Set sail from Nelson Bay to see them up close. Cruise straight into the action, with tail-slaps, barrel rolls and all.

And they’ve got competition from the local show-offs. Port Stephens bottlenose dolphins leap and play. Some tours even spot pudgy fur seals, spending lazy days soaking up the sun on Cabbage Tree Island.

A whale’s tail on the sea’s surface. — Watch for ocean tails. (Image: Destination NSW)

4. Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary

Pop into the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary to learn about the rescued koalas who climb, nap, snack and heal in this natural patch of bushland. Wander the immersive Sanctuary Story Walk to discover more about their habits, then head to the SKYwalk – a treetop platform constructed for spotting these eucalyptus-loving locals. Peek into the hospital’s viewing window, where sick or injured koalas may be resting in their recovery enclosures.

Not enough time around these adorable marsupials? Stay overnight in silk-lined glamping tents.

Koala sleeping in a tree at Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary, One Mile — See koalas in their natural habitat. (Image: Destination NSW)

5. Diving Port Stephens

Port Stephens has some of NSW’s best dive spots. At Fly Point, float through sponge gardens and coral castles thick with nudibranchs (AKA sea slugs). Halifax Park has blue gropers and crimson-banded wrasse, while Shoal Bay’s seagrass meadows hide pipefish, cuttlefish and octopus.

Accessible only by boat, Broughton Island is home to a vast array of marine (and bird) life. Snorkel with blue devilfish and stingrays at sites like The Looking Glass and North Rock. More experienced divers can head out with one of the many PADI-certified operators.

At nearby Cabbage Tree Island, expect to see shaggy-faced wobbegongs cruising along.

A couple suited up and ready to dive into adventure. — Suit up and dive into Port Stephens’ vibrant marine life. (Image: Destination NSW)

6. Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters

Not quite ready to dive in? Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters is the perfect way to spot local marine life without getting too deep. But there’s no obnoxious glass tank tapping here. Instead, this interactive aquarium allows guests to wade into natural-style lagoons that mimic the real thing.

Gently pat Port Jackson and bamboo sharks, hand-feed rays, and feel their sandpapery skin with your fingertips. It is all under expert guidance. If you want to go deeper, pop on a wetsuit and swim alongside tawny nurse sharks, white-tipped reef sharks and zebra sharks in the lagoon.

Family enjoying an animal feeding experience at Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters, Anna Bay. — Meet the ocean’s friendliest faces at Irukandji. (Image: Destination NSW)

7. Fish the estuaries

Fishing fanatics will fall for Port Stephens hook, line and sinker. Here, one of the largest estuary systems in the whole state sees tidal rivers and mangrove ecosystems. Waterfronts are thick with oysters, and residential fish that might include anything from bream, whiting and flathead, to blue swimmer crabs, kingfish and longtail tuna.

If you prefer to choose your own adventure and fish offshore, you can hire a boat from one of the marinas and set your own course.

three men fishing on a boat in port stephens — Join a tour or chart your own fishing trip. (Image: Destination NSW)

8. Taste new Port Stephens flavours

With plenty of activity to fill your days, refuelling on delectable cuisine becomes equally important. And Port Stephens answers the call.

Pop into Holbert’s Oyster Farm for fresh-farmed Port Stephens rock oysters and Pacific oysters, Australian king and tiger prawns, as well as a variety of tasty sauces to try them with.

Take a group to Atmos for an authentic Greek experience over large shared dishes and Greek-inspired cocktails. Or feast on sea-to-plate, modern Australian dishes at the pet-friendly Restaurant 2317.

A plate of fresh oysters. — Slurp your way through the region’s best oysters. (Image: Destination NSW)

Start planning your Port Stephens getaway at portstephens.org.au .

The best things for kids to do in Port Macquarie