Port Macquarie: From Prisoners to Convicts

As we woke, looking through the rain speckled window of the van, we spotted a few whales frolicking just off shore. Pity it was raining as we could not go down to the beach and get an eyeball to eyeball view, as they were so close within the bay. With such miserable weather, we decided to pack up and drive just around the corner to Smokey Cape. It was still gusty and raining, so we had a quick look at the highest lighthouse in New South Wales with its interesting design. We drove on to Kempsey, home of the Acubra hat, but nothing to excite us here, and then stopped at nearby Crescent Head for lunch. We were planning on camping down this way, but the road is rough and the weather not looking good for tomorrow, so we continued on to the larger town of Port Macquarie, where we might get more shelter. We stopped at the Koala Hospital and nearby Roto historic home, before settling at a caravan park just along from Town Beach. After dinner, the rained had cleared and we joined many others for a stroll along the graffiti covered rock wall on the foreshore.