Harrington Waters
Days:
4 Days
Activity:
1. Easy
Transport:
Drive
$1,495.00
Tour description
Discover the peaceful beauty of the NSW North Coast on this relaxed escape based at the charming Harrington River Lodge. Set on the tranquil banks of the Manning River, this newly refurbished 4-star waterfront resort provides a wonderful home for exploring the region’s pristine beaches, sparkling lakes, lush farmland and rainforest-covered mountains. With its quiet setting and welcoming atmosphere, it’s the ideal place to unwind, soak up the views and enjoy the gentle pace of life along the coast.
Each day brings a new highlight, from the dramatic headlands of Crowdy Bay National Park to the sweeping vistas from North Brother Mountain. You’ll wander rainforest boardwalks in Port Macquarie, visit a working buffalo farm at Eungai Creek, explore the historic charm of South West Rocks and cruise the calm waters of Wallis Lake. With journeys through Newcastle, Forster, Diamond Beach and the Great Lakes region, this tour showcases the best of coastal New South Wales—its landscapes, its wildlife and its welcoming country towns—all with meals, admissions and comfortable travel included.
Itinerary
This morning we head north leaving the highway to travel through Doyalson, Lake Munmorah and Swansea where we will pause for morning tea on picturesque Lake Macquarie. We continue along the eastern shoreline through Belmont where we will head for the coast and Newcastle’s spectacular beaches. We will pass Merewether, Bar Beach, Dixon Park, City Beach and Nobby’s before following the river mouth back into the centre of the city. Newcastle has undergone a major transformation in recent years, especially around the waterfront and we will explore this vibrant city, taking in much of the new development along with many of its fine heritage buildings.
This afternoon we will travel through Raymond Terrace, detouring from the highway to the riverfront to take in some of the town’s heritage buildings and perhaps see some of the prawn trawlers based on this part of the Hunter. We will have a short break at Bulahdelah where we will see a fleet of houseboats lining the Myall River. Continuing north, we will leave the highway just after Taree and follow the mouth of the Manning River to Harrington and the delightful Riverside Lodge. (Our home for the next 3 nights, Ph: 02 6556 0555). We will arrive with time to settle in and appreciate our surroundings before dinner tonight at 7.00pm.
Overnight: Riverside Lodge, Harrington
Meals Included: Morning tea, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast, we visit Pilot Hill and stroll along the Harrington seawall before venturing to Crowdy Head and the rugged beauty of Crowdy Bay National Park. Morning tea awaits at North Brother Mountain, followed by a scenic drive via Laurieton and Bonny Hills to Port Macquarie. We enjoy a picnic lunch and wine tasting at Cassegrain Vineyard, then take in the town on a coach tour and wander the Sea Acres Rainforest Boardwalk. Free time allows us to soak up Port Macquarie before returning to Riverside Lodge.
Overnight: Riverside Lodge, Harrington
Meals Included: Breakfast, Morning tea, Lunch, Dinner
This morning, after breakfast, we depart for Eungai Creek to indulge in Devonshire Tea at the buffalo farm. Continuing north, we arrive in South West Rocks for lunch and time to discover its relaxed coastal charm. In the afternoon, we explore the historic Trial Bay Gaol, whose striking ruins overlook the sea. As the day winds down, we journey back to Harrington, where dinner is served at Riverside Lodge.
Overnight: Riverside Lodge, Harrington
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Sadly we leave Harrington this morning although we will enjoy more spectacular scenery along the Lakes Way and Forster Tuncurry Coast. We will explore Hallidays Point and Blackhead area before travelling on to Forster where we will board our cruise on the beautiful Wallis Lake. We will pass by many oyster leases and perhaps see some of the resident bottle nose dolphins during our 2.5 hour lunch cruise.
We continue along the Lakes Way passing through Pacific Palms, Elizabeth, Bluey’s and Boomerang Beaches before reaching Smith’s and Myall Lakes. We rejoin the Pacific Highway at Bulahdelah for our journey back to Sydney arriving late afternoon.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch
Activity Levels
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1. Easy
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2. Moderate
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3. Active Moderate
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4. Adventurous
Testimonials
(Sung to Advance Australia Fair) Hooray for our Great On Course Tours For we are old and grey With John to drive us all around We’ve travelled a helluva long way We’ve had a ball at Moby Dicks We ate and drank all day But now it’s time to say goodbye To the pelicans in the bay And so until we meet again Thanks John!! Hip hip, hooray. We have so enjoyed being part of the On Course family over the many years and have beautiful memories and photos to prove it!
Pete and Clare
Re: Batemans Bay Hi Debbie, We have just returned from a 4-day trip to Bateman’s Bay with with Jimmy as our driver. I wanted to email to tell you how good he was. He was so friendly and pleasant, nothing was too much trouble, and his help / support of our older Ex-Servicemen and their wives was outstanding. He was also very interested in out stories which was lovely. I know we always get that level of service from OnCourse, and wanted you to know that it continued with Jimmy. He was so articulate on the microphone and always had some interesting bits of information about where we were or where we were near. The weather on our trip could have been better, but he did his best, moved things around, found places for us to stop in the rain, and always with a smile on his face and made the trip so enjoyable. His handling of the coach was also something we all commented on. Once again, another lovely trip away, and I wouldn’t hesitate to go on any trip Jimmy was involved in.
