The Mid North Coast
Empty beaches, clear creeks and headland walks between Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour. The Mid North Coast is where the NSW coast slows right down.
Towns & beaches
Pick a town for our local guide and the best places to stay.
Port Macquarie
The largest town on the Mid North Coast, where the Hastings River meets the sea and a string of beaches runs south from Town Beach to Lighthouse Beach. Port Macquarie pairs eight beaches and a famous coastal walk with a full town of cafes, shops and things to do. Here's where to stay in Port Macquarie, and what to do when you get there.
Guide + top 7 stays
Hat Head
A tiny village wrapped in national park, where a clear creek meets an empty beach and kangaroos graze on the headland. Here's where to stay in Hat Head, plus the beaches, walks and wildlife that make it worth the drive.
Guide + top 7 stays
South West Rocks
A bigger, livelier cousin to the quiet villages nearby, with a calm town beach, a historic gaol on the headland, turquoise bays and some of the best diving in the country. Here's where to stay in South West Rocks, and what to do when you arrive.
Guide + top 7 stays
Crescent Head
The Mid North Coast's surf town: a National Surfing Reserve with a long, famous point break, a calm creek for the kids, and a livelier, younger scene than its quiet neighbours. Here's where to stay in Crescent Head, and what to do when you get there.
Guide + top 7 stays
Nambucca Heads
A relaxed river town where the Nambucca River meets the sea, famous for the painted V-Wall, with calm river beaches, ocean surf and big lookout views. Here's where to stay in Nambucca Heads, and what to do when you arrive.
Guide + top 7 stays
Bellingen
A heritage town in the green Bellinger valley, a short drive inland from the coast. Bellingen is the arts and food hub of the hinterland and a handy base for the Waterfall Way, river swims and the beaches nearby. Here's where to stay in Bellingen, and what to do when you get there.
Guide + top 7 stays
North Haven
A quiet beach and fishing village where the Camden Haven River meets the sea, under North Brother Mountain. North Haven pairs a surf beach with calm river swims, breakwall walks and good fishing, with Laurieton and Port Macquarie close by. Here's where to stay in North Haven, and what to do when you get there.
Guide + top 7 stays
Scotts Head
A small surf village south of Nambucca Heads, with a calm, north-facing beach that locals drive in from all over the valley to use, and a long point break off the headland. Here's where to stay in Scotts Head, and what to do when you arrive.
Guide + top 7 stays
Urunga
A quiet town where the Bellinger and Kalang rivers meet the sea, with a newly rebuilt boardwalk out over the lagoon to the beach, clear water full of fish and birds, and one of the loveliest stretches of sand on the coast. Here's where to stay in Urunga, and what to do when you arrive.
Guide + top 7 stays