Two Days in Port Macquarie

It was over two months ago now, but on my way up the East Coast from Sydney, my friends and I stopped for two nights in Port Macquarie. This seaside town was a highlight of the trip for me and showcased some of the best parts of the weeks we spent driving: stunning sunrises, beautiful beaches, and excellent coffee.

We arrived late afternoon at our hostel: Ozzie Pozzie YHA. The half outdoors space reminded me of family camping holidays when we lived on this side of the globe. The climate and environment was familiar. I could feel us getting closer to my old home. 

We spent that evening doing a food shop and playing games in the hostel’s games room. Air hockey, pool, and foosball. The air hockey table didn’t quite work, some of the foosball pieces weren’t in their best shape, and none of us are skilled at pool at all, but we had a good laugh.

The next morning, Amelia and I got up with the sun and made our way to Flynn’s beach to watch it rise. The sky burned with colour that reflected on the surface of the water and the glazed sand. We wandered into the water with a host of others, dipping and rising in time with the waves, and kept going for a while. Every time we considered swimming back to the sand we thought better of it, and continued swimming outwards. It was so beautiful and peaceful, I didn’t want it to be over.

We rinsed off in the cold showers at the edge of the sand and drank beautiful cappuccinos whilst looking out over the water. We then returned to the hostel to have breakfast with the others, and ended up returning for another coffee later on. We then spent the afternoon by the sea. Lucy and Caitlin read on the sand, and Amelia and I took off to do part of the coastal walk. There are several beaches connected along that stretch of coast. We saw just a couple, but walked for a while, climbing rocks and investigating rock pools. At a lookout point, we sat and admired the view. 

That night we had another chilled evening, as our alarms were set early again. This time, for a sunrise surf. A minivan picked us up from the hostel – about eight of us – and took us to Town Beach for a lesson. We were given boards and wetsuits and taught the basic motions: how to paddle out, what angle to push the board, how to stand up. After practising these on the sand, the only way to truly test them out was to get in the water. 

We spent an hour or so giving it a go. It was so much fun! Although I had no prior experience, I felt so comfortable just doing my best, and even enjoyed falling off. Our teacher was very helpful pointing out what waves to catch, when to paddle and stand, offering us personalised comments and advice as the hour went on. My favourite part was being part of a group that cheered one another on. Caitlin killed it on one of her standups and we cheered for her. We celebrated as Lucy screamed out in delight and surprise as she surfed, standing, towards the sand. As we peeled off our wetsuits at the end, one of the others in the group said that the four of us had a great energy. She could see it in the way we celebrated for one another.

After breakfast and showering, we headed to a cafe where we had some of our favourite coffees of the East Coast. After a few hours of chilling out at the hostel, in the late afternoon, three of us headed out and bought ciders from the bottle-o. We took them to the beach where we walked along the path of painted rocks. Homages to people passed, celebrations of friendships, paintings for the sake of painting, there an array of beautiful and meaningful designs. We watched the sunset and as the tide came in, chatting and drinking, making the most of the evening and being together in a beautiful place.