Port Macquarie anyone?

We are looking at the coast above Newcastle, NSW as the area we would like to move to. We have researched Coffs Harbour in depth and really like the look of it. However Port Macquarie has also caught our eye as we have been researching the coast. We Just wondered if anyone out there has been to Port or knows anything about the area? We are a family, with 3 children under 7 so an area that is good for a growing family is what we are looking for. Can anyone help???

Port Macquarie is a good town and area . It has rail links to Sydney and Brisbane , a new jet air link to Sydney , a modern hospital and is situated on a great stretch of coastline . It does have a reputation of being a retirement town , but there again so do many Australian towns which are coastal and sub tropical , and lets face it that sounds a good enough reason to me to move there . I'm not so sure about employment opportunities . I guess that most business is tourist related , so that may be a bit of a problem . You say you are also looking at Coffs Harbour . Coffs is a much larger town offering more in the choice of schools , shopping and work I assume , and is about 100 miles North of Port . Both these areas are desirable , but I think they also attract high house prices .

Dave C

Hi Im jay

Im looking to move to port macquire in the coming weeks. it seems to be a good town or shall i say the biggest town in that area I think. i have heard about coffs harbour ,its definitely more scenic than port.. I guess both are equally good .. one can only know once u are there.. When are u planning to move?

Hi Jay,

Thanks for your reply. we hope to go within the next 6 to 12 months basically as soon as visa is sorted and the house is sold, Have you been to Port or are you as mad as us!!??

Karen, Martin and boys

I have been once for a holiday . its beautiful and people are nice. houses are expensive compared to the sarrounding areas but certainly not as pricey as Uk. Quailty of life iis good . because of the airport I prefer it to coffs harbour unless i am mistaken I think CH doesnt have an airport.

best of luck

Stopped off at both towns last year on a visit,preffered CH to PM mainly because there seemed more to do,the beach and services club were great,but OH paniced a bit when we saw (HARMLESS)fruit bat the size a light aircraft.Fred:biglaugh:

Hi,

We have been via Port Macquarie today & its all been washed away, really heavy floods going on there at the mo. Went to Coffs Harbour today had alook at the property prices and alot cheaper than we expected and also alot cheaper than where we live on the central coast

gizmo

. Quailty of life iis good . because of the airport I prefer it to coffs harbour unless i am mistaken I think CH doesnt have an airport.

best of luck

Coffs Harbour has an airport . It is larger , busier and has more services than Port Macquarie .

Dave C

hello

so u would suggest ch to pm.

Thansk for the info.. i guess i should try to settle in Ch than Pm.. bigger the better ..

Port Macquarie is a good town and area . It has rail links to Sydney and Brisbane , a new jet air link to Sydney , a modern hospital and is situated on a great stretch of coastline . It does have a reputation of being a retirement town , but there again so do many Australian towns which are coastal and sub tropical , and lets face it that sounds a good enough reason to me to move there . I'm not so sure about employment opportunities . I guess that most business is tourist related , so that may be a bit of a problem . You say you are also looking at Coffs Harbour . Coffs is a much larger town offering more in the choice of schools , shopping and work I assume , and is about 100 miles North of Port .

 

Dave C

Hi, I was googling and came across this thread. I live in the Port Macquarie area and just thought I would clear up some errors here .

Port Macquarie (pop 39,219 (2006) ) is actually bigger than Coffs Harbour ( pop 26,353 (2006) ), these stats have grown since 2006 obviously. Port also has more services. Statistically Port Macquarie is the the fastest growing regional town in NSW, so if you want somewhere that will be a good investment and will have all the services in few years time, Port is the place to be . It is most definitely booming and there is also a new suburb going in called Sovereign Hills. Port no longer has a reputation as a retirement town, the largest population group fall into the 25-44 age group, followed by the 45-64 and then the 10-24 group.

Port Macquarie-Hastings Council - About Port Macquarie-Hastings

Areas to stay well away from in Port Macquarie are the entire Westport area (around the Tafe and West Port Primary and high school) there is a large housing commission population there and a lot of petty crime/domestic violence. Good areas are pretty much every where else. Good schools are Hasting primary and Tacking Point primary. Not sure about the high schools, but as I said West Port high is very bad. All the catholic and private schools are great .

Employment really depends on your job, there is hospitality, retail, computer jobs, admin jobs, legal jobs, energy supplier jobs and heaps of other industries here.

It's a great place to live and people are very friendly

Hi, I was googling and came across this thread. I live in the Port Macquarie area and just thought I would clear up some errors here .

 

It is most definitely booming and there is also a new suburb going in called Sovereign Hills.

 

It's a great place to live and people are very friendly

Hi, are moving out near Port in May, I wondered if you could advise anything on the new suburb development? We were gambling on there being work opportunities for my husband (he's a sparky) if development was increasing?

I work as an Estate Agent and we are having a pretty tough time here at the moment, do you know how the real estate agencies are doing out there? Has the 'credit crunch' has a knock on affect in Oz, I know house prices have dropped a little but seeing as you are living there I wondered if you had any 'vibes' from the locals???

Thanks, Rachel x

Port Macquarie (pop 39,219 (2006) ) is actually bigger than Coffs Harbour ( pop 26,353 (2006)

Hi - we're considering a move to Coffs next year and from my research - Coffs City Council website, amongst other places - the population in Coffs is nearer 60-70,000... The council website says:

Coffs Harbour's population of 68,000 (2006) is expected to grow to over 100,000 by the year 2030.

 

Hi, are moving out near Port in May, I wondered if you could advise anything on the new suburb development? We were gambling on there being work opportunities for my husband (he's a sparky) if development was increasing?

 

I work as an Estate Agent and we are having a pretty tough time here at the moment, do you know how the real estate agencies are doing out there? Has the 'credit crunch' has a knock on affect in Oz, I know house prices have dropped a little but seeing as you are living there I wondered if you had any 'vibes' from the locals???

 

Thanks, Rachel x

Hi,

You can find out more about Sovereign Hills at their website Sovereign Hills - Port Macquarie .

There are plenty of real estate agents here and in the hastings district so work for you shouldn't be a problem. I can't comment on your husbands job as I have no idea about that area of work . I haven't noticed anything in regards to the credit crisis, apart from the fact that rents have gone up slightly, but thats pretty much it .

Hi - we're considering a move to Coffs next year and from my research - Coffs City Council website, amongst other places - the population in Coffs is nearer 60-70,000... The council website says: . Don't know whether that makes it more or less attractive to you, but now you know! (I think, unless it's wrong...!) :unsure:

Hi, that is not the actual population figure for the township of Coffs Harbour , that is for the Coffs Harbour shire which includes surrounding townships and covers quite a large area. The actual size of Coffs Harbour itself is the figure I quoted above . Hope that makes sense!, it's a bit confusing when they say it like that .

Coffs Harbour does have an airport.

We live one hour North of Port and one hour South of Coffs, in a place called Yarrahapinni, which is 10 minutes from the beech, we prefer Port to coffs, we often visit Port and Coffs regularly and we would like to move to Port in the near future, when we sell our hydroponic lettuce business and retire.

Good luck

Dodi