Description & Facts: Port Macquarie is a large Australian town on the New South Wales Mid North Coast, approximately 400 km north of Sydney. Qantas provides up to three flights per day from Kingsford Smith International Airport, on Dash 8 (or similar Turboprop driven) aircraft. The flight to or from Sydney takes between 50 minutes to an hour. From Brisbane, Brindabella Airlines airlines provide two flight per day on weekdays and one flight per day on weekends, via Coffs Harbour, which takes approximately two hours. Bookings for both can be handled at most Qantas offices or online, and check-in for Brindabella flights is at Qantas desks. During the middle of the year, and out of school holiday times, flights into and out of Port Macquarie are quite easy to get seats on, however, early bookings are highly recommended for flights in school holidays, and especially the summer break. Flights to other regional or capital cities are not currently available direct from Port Macquarie, however connecting flights are very easy to get in both Sydney and Brisbane. Unfortunately, Port Macquarie does not have a reliable or useful public transport system which can make getting around difficult. While buses may run to most places, they often run at odd times, and terminate early in the day. The most useful bus route is the Shelly Beach - Town Centre route, which seems to run quite regularly, and is the best way of those without a car getting to the beaches and lighthouse. Other than this, don't bother with the public transport, it isn't worth the aggravation. Fortunately, Port Macquarie has a great many places to walk to from the Town Centre. From here you can quite easily walk to many beaches and some attractions. Because it has such a compact CBD, you won't have to walk far to get to restaurants, shops and pubs if you stay in town, or nearby. Port Macquarie has an interesting history. Being the first English convict settlement outside of Sydney and the Hunter it has a few historical sites and museums. Mid North Coast Martime Museum, corner of Hayward St & Ocean Drive, old Pilot's Building on just below Flagstaff Hill. It is run by a dedicated group of volunteers, and has a small collection of artifacts, documents and displays showcasing Port Macquarie's maritime history. The steps up to the top of Flagstaff hill are located in the park directly across the road, and this hill is a former naval lookout station. It affords great ocean views. Port Macquarie Historic Grave Yard, Gordon St almost behind the bus station (and across the road). This grave site was the major burial ground for early settlers. It is quite shaded by Lilli Pilli trees and is a pleasant place to wander around for an hour or so. It backs onto Koolonbung Nature Reserve, a native mangrove swamp area, with several kilometres of elevated boardwalks (so you don't have to walk in the mud!) and notice boards informing you about the ecosystem, this is a great, central spot for birdwatching or exploring nature in a close up environment. Remember to stay on the boardwalks at all times. Note: While Port Macquarie is an extremely safe town, some robberies have happened in Koolonbung Creek Reserve, and while it is very unlikely to happen, do not enter alone or at night. Footage provided by Greater Port Macquarie Tourism Marketing.