The Mid North Coast is made for a slow drive. From Port Macquarie in the south to Bellingen in the green hinterland up north, it strings together surf points, empty beaches, a clifftop gaol and a rainforest valley, all within a couple of hours of each other. Here is how to do it south to north, the way most people arrive from Sydney, with the drive times and the one or two things you should not miss at each stop.
How this coast is laid out
One thing to know before you start: there is no single coastal road. The Pacific Highway runs inland, and each beach town is a turn east off it, then a turn back. Three of the towns, Crescent Head, Hat Head and South West Rocks, all branch off around Kempsey, so you tend to come and go through there rather than driving along the coast between them. It makes the trip a series of short detours rather than one long beach drive, which is part of the charm: each town feels like its own destination.
Give it a week to do properly. You can see the highlights in a long weekend, but the pleasure here is in not rushing the walks, the swims and the long lunches.
Day 1 to 2: Port Macquarie
Start in Port Macquarie, about four hours and 390 km north of Sydney on the M1 and the Pacific Highway. It is the biggest town on the coast and the one place with the beach plus everything else, so it makes an easy first base.
Walk a leg of the nine kilometre Coastal Walk, which links eight beaches headland to headland, and finish at Tacking Point Lighthouse for the view. Wander the Sea Acres rainforest boardwalk near Shelly Beach, find the painted koalas of the Hello Koalas trail, and walk the painted breakwall along the Hastings River. The town is koala country, and its koala hospital has been moving to a new home, so check before you go if that is on your list.
If you have a spare half day, drop south to the Camden Haven, about 35 minutes away, where North Haven sits under North Brother Mountain. The lookout at the top of the mountain, in Dooragan National Park, takes in the river, the lakes and the coast for miles, and the Brothers are a launch point for tandem paragliding.
Day 3: Crescent Head
From Port Macquarie it is about 50 minutes to Crescent Head, via Kempsey. The direct coast road through Point Plomer is only part sealed and needs a four-wheel drive and the Settlement Point ferry, so most people take the sealed route through Kempsey.
Crescent Head is the surf town: a National Surfing Reserve with a long, mellow right-hand point that suits longboards and learners. Even if you do not surf, watch the lineup from the headland, swim the calm water of Killick Creek, and take in the clifftop golf course where kangaroos graze the fairways. Grab a pie from Barnetts Bakery on the way through.
Day 4: Hat Head
Back inland and out again, about 40 minutes north, is Hat Head: a tiny village wrapped in national park, where a clear creek meets an empty beach. This is the quiet day. Walk the Korogoro Point track onto the headland for ocean views and the turquoise coves below, swim the creek at high tide, and watch for kangaroos on the headland grass at dawn and dusk. There is a general store and a takeaway, and not much else, which is the point.
Day 5: South West Rocks
It is a quick 25 minutes from Hat Head to South West Rocks, the all-rounder of the coast. The sandstone ruins of Trial Bay Gaol stand on the headland at Arakoon, with kangaroos on the grass at dusk and the sheltered turquoise of Little Bay just below. Drive up to Smoky Cape Lighthouse, the highest in NSW, for the view and the whales in season. Offshore, Fish Rock is one of the best dives in the country, with grey nurse sharks in its ocean cave. Back in town, Horseshoe Bay is a calm swim and there are cafes, a bakery and a country club for a feed.
Day 6: Nambucca Heads
About 50 minutes north on the highway, Nambucca Heads is a relaxed river town where the Nambucca winds out to the sea. Walk the V-Wall, the half-kilometre breakwall covered in thousands of painted rocks left by visitors over the years, and add one of your own. Drive up to the Captain Cook and Rotary lookouts for the river mouth and the coast, swim or surf at Main Beach, and float a kayak on the calm river.
Day 7: Bellingen
Finish in the green. From Nambucca it is about 30 minutes to Bellingen, inland off the highway near Urunga along the Waterfall Way. Bellingen is a heritage arts town in the Bellinger valley, with old awnings on the main street, galleries and good cafes, and a clear river for a swim on a warm day. It is the gateway to the Waterfall Way: half an hour up the escarpment, Dorrigo National Park has ancient rainforest and a treetop skywalk over the canopy. From here Coffs Harbour and its airport are about 30 minutes north if you are flying out, or carry on up the coast.
The drive, leg by leg
- Sydney to Port Macquarie: about 390 km, four to four and a half hours
- Port Macquarie to North Haven: about 35 km, 35 minutes
- Port Macquarie to Crescent Head: about 65 km, 50 minutes, via Kempsey
- Crescent Head to Hat Head: about 45 km, 40 minutes, via Kempsey
- Hat Head to South West Rocks: about 25 km, 25 minutes
- South West Rocks to Nambucca Heads: about 60 km, 50 minutes
- Nambucca Heads to Bellingen: about 35 km, 30 minutes
- Bellingen to Dorrigo: about 30 km, 25 minutes, up the escarpment
None of the legs are long. Allow more than the bare drive time, because the detours in and out of each town, and the stops you will want along the way, are where the days go.
Short on time?
A long weekend splits naturally into two halves. Base in Port Macquarie or South West Rocks for the southern beaches, the gaol and the lighthouses, or head straight to the northern end and split your time between Bellingen, Nambucca and a day trip up to Dorrigo. To cut the nightly packing, two bases work well for a week: South West Rocks for the south, then Bellingen for the north.
When to go
Spring and autumn are the sweet spot: mild, settled and quieter, and autumn into spring lines up with whale season, from about May to November. Summer and the school holidays are the busiest and dearest, and the small towns book out well ahead, so reserve early if you are travelling then. Start with our guides to where to stay in each town to plan the nights.