Category: Travel

Port Macquarie

After years of sailing on our schedule, it’s challenging to be stuck for weeks with no progress on fixing Go. Yes, we have been stuck in worse places so we’re trying to make the best of our down time. Here’s how we’ve been having fun and staying busy in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, known in Aussie lingo as “Port”.

About Port Macquarie

A town in the Mid-North Coast region of New South Wales, Port is located almost 400km north of Sydney. Located at the mouth of the Port Hastings River, its known for beaches, koalas, and convicts, not necessarily in that order.

Port Macquarie on a map east coast Australia
Port Macquarie on a map on the east coast of Australia

The town has a population of around 50,000, many of whom are retirees. We also see a lot of young families mingling with the retirees at cafes and on the waterfront paths. This town is busy on weekends and holidays, when families and vacationers fill the caravan parks and hotels. What are they coming for?

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Best of Sydney

We loved Sydney. After sailing there for the holidays, it was hard to leave. What started as a month long visit became a wonderful two month stay. I miss the city’s clean streets, happy residents, busy bars and restaurants, excellent museums, and fun festivals. The best of Sydney ranges from cool music venues to funky neighborhoods to free art galleries and beautiful hikes.

Best Anchorage: Glebe Bay

My list of the best of Sydney wouldn’t be complete without talking about where we spent most of our time on the boat. Sydney has a lot of great anchorages, and it’s easy to move around as long as you avoid the ferries. You can anchor somewhere for great beaches and elsewhere for the fireworks. For us, the most convenient bay for shops and sightseeing was Glebe, which has three anchorages.

Glebe, Blackwattle and Rozelle were great anchorages for the selection of safe and convenient dinghy docks. We had dinghy parking at the fish market, the ferry dock, or Rozelle Bay park, giving us access to multiple shops, restaurants, and transit lines.

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Tasmania Road Trip

We went to Tasmania and loved it! Tassie for short, it’s a beautiful large island surrounded by many islands south of the main island of Australia. We had less than two weeks and spent 10 days of it on our Tasmania road trip. Here’s where we went and what we loved!

Why Do a Tasmania Road Trip

Tasmania is the 26th largest island on Earth, about 1/2 the size of England and the same size as West Virginia. It is known for its diverse wildlife, natural beauty, and for having the cleanest air in the world. We also noticed Tasmania’s delicious fresh seafood and produce, extensive craft beer and wine scene, and a relaxed and fun lifestyle.

Tassie is located in the Roaring 40s, notorious to sailors for strong winds and big waves that damage ships. Now you understand why we didn’t sail. Over 26,000sq miles, Tassie’s compact size means a road trip is an ideal way to see Australia’s smallest state.

Tasmania Road Trip view farm and sky
View from the car on our Tassie road trip
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