Port Macquarie

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April 16th 2015

Published: April 16th 2015

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naylorsontour2015

River Hastings Port Macquarie

From Sydney we took the Greyhound to Port Macquarie where we spent 2 nights. On Monday we walked along the marina and the banks of the Hastings River. We booked a Chinese junk cruise for later that eve and continued to walk along the coast where we saw some of the 50 Hello Koalas!; these large scale fibreglass statues, individually designed, named and hand painted koalas, form a public sculpture trail in Port. As you walk on there are hundreds of rocks which form a sea wall which have been painted by visitors, to mark holidays or celebrations. We then spent the remainder of the morning sunbathing at Town Beach. In the afternoon we walked to the Koala Hospital where we were introduced to several koalas who were there because of injury, illness or simply to get some TLC as they were elderly. Sadly koalas are susceptible to chlamydia which, for them, is a respiratory disease that can cause conjunctivitis and, if not successfully treated, ultimately blindness and infertility in females. It's treated with antibiotics and a dietary supplement. Koalas are sometimes caught in bush fires or are casualties of motor vehicle accidents as they cross roads to find food. The

River Hastings Port Macquarie

biggest threat to them however, is domestic dogs. One koala lost a leg and the sight in one eye as a result of an accident but is still able to climb trees! Another lost her claws in a bushfire and sadly can't climb. The hospital rehabilitate where possible and return them to the area where they were found. If this is not possible they have to apply to the government for a license to keep them. Barry is a permanent resident but is renowned for escaping from his enclosure to bother the females with his amorous advances!! You can buy a toy 'Barry' and post pictures of his adventures around Australia or the World on his Facebook page. He's already been to Fiji, but more of that later! The hospital was established in 1973, receives no funding and is staffed by 3 salaried staff and 160 volunteers. They are a charity and don't charge an admission fee. Between 200-250 koalas are admitted every year and the biggest challenge is providing enough eucalyptus leaves for them as a koala eats approx 500g of leaves per day. Koalas are also very fussy eaters. Of the 600 species of eucalypts which grow in

Pelicancan!

This is what happens when people don't dispose of rubbish responsibly

Australia, koalas will only eat about 50 of them and they prefer the soft tips. If joeys become orphaned, they have volunteers who take them home and feed them every two hours twenty four hours a day! That's dedication! After our lovely visit we went back to the YHA for a quick shower before joining the Chinese junk cruise and fish n chip supper. The cruise was a lovely relaxing way to explore the bay. There are some very exclusive housing estates built on canals which have their own jetties and everyone has a boat on the drive or in the garage! As we began the return journey we pulled up and a man appeared with an insulated bag containing our fish and chips! There is something strangely satisfying about eating fish and chips on the water. As we neared the port there was a beautiful sunset and we were suddenly aware of a family of Dolphins which came to check us out, riding the bow before they headed off to the ocean. On Tue morning we checked out and wandered down to Mc Donald's to have a coffee and use the wifi before rejoining the Greyhound for the next