Port Macquarie Go
Port Macquarie Go is a program inspired by the beautiful surroundings of the greater Port Macquarie Region. Supported by Destination NSW, the CTO Conference will again encourage delegates to spend an afternoon exploring the region, meeting new friends, cementing professional relationships and forging new collaborations and partnerships, all while riding a camel, seeking a whale, sipping local wine, learning the history of Port Macquarie, getting up close with wild animals at the Billabong Zoo or picking tomatoes and strawberries with Ricardo!
In the spirit of ‘we all network differently’, this is an opportunity to get out an about and share an experience with your co-delegates before meeting at Sails, Port Macquarie to celebrate our industry and our Gala Awards Dinner.
Camel Adventure
Join the Team at Port Camels for a camel ride – you will be warmly greeted and looked after by friendly and experienced cameleers. Hop aboard one of Australia’s own camels and be delighted with stories, amazing facts and history of this incredible ‘ship of the desert’.
Dolphins are frequently seen dancing the waves and whales are commonly seen migrating during the whale season. Take in the sights of gorgeous Lighthouse Beach from the elevated view on the back of a camel gently meandering along golden sands. Be sure to bring your camera. A fun, educational and memorable experience awaits you.
Bago Wine Tasting & Maze
Bago is a working vineyard and winery, growing all of their own grapes and produce on site. Wander, run and get lost in Bago Maze. A stunning architecturally designed native Lilly Pilly hedge maze. It’s one of the world’s largest hedge mazes with over 2000m of pathways, bridges and hedges, making it the perfect place for the family to explore.
Join us on a wine tasting adventure to Bago winery & Maze.
Included: guided wine tasting, grazing plate and entry to the maze.
Heritage Walk
The Heritage walk will begin at The Glasshouse at 2pm. The Glasshouse is an archaeological site c1823 and it is where the conference is being held. The group will then walk to St Thomas’ Church (c1824), the fifth oldest Anglican church in continuous use in Australia – built using convict labour. From there the walk heads to Port Macquarie Historic Cemetery (c1824-1886) where more than 1,500 military personnel, free settlers, convicts and Aboriginals are buried but only 102 graves are visible.
The Heritage Walking tour will give you have a greater appreciation of Port Macquarie’s convict past and where Port Macquarie fits into Australia’s early European history. The tour will conclude across the road from Finnian’s Tavern only a 400m stroll back to the Glasshouse. The group can chose to grab a pint before casually walking back to accommodation.
Ricardo’s Tomatoes Farm Tour & Strawberry Picking
Ricardoes Tomatoes & Strawberries really taste the way nature intended, and the Sarks brothers who own the farm work hard to ensure that all the tomatoes & strawberries are given extra special care during the growing process, which is essential to achieve year-round production and offer the best quality fruit.
Join the team at Ricardo’s Tomatoes for an experience including:
- A Farm Tour
- Strawberry picking, and
- Devonshire tea
Whale Watching
Join the Port Jet Team for a whale watching experience on the beautiful North Coast of NSW. The yearly migration of the Humpback whales is one of the highlights along the East coast of Australia.
Port Macquarie offers one of the best vantage points to see whales as we are very close to the action. Just a short trip on our boat and our spotter on the hill will direct the skipper to the best sightings. Bring your camera, sunscreen, closed toe shoes and a sense of adventure.
Billabong Zoo Animal Encounter
At the multiple award-winning Billabong Zoo in Port Macquarie, NSW you can get up-close and personal to Australian and exotic animals. You can pat, feed, hold, hear and see over 80 species of mammals, reptiles and birds.
We care for over 200 animals in this friendly 10 acre Koala and Wildlife Park. Learn about our passion for conservation as Ambassadors for Wildlife and our world-renowned koala breeding program.