Hannam Vale
The beauty of Hannam Vale is its proximity to so many other areas and activities. You can choose to stay tucked away in the valley enjoying the peace of rural life, or you can use it as a base for more active pursuits in the holiday regions of the Mid North Coast of NSW; Manning Valley, Hastings Valley, Macleay Valley and the Great Lakes.
Hannam Vale Community
The centre of the valley's community life is a quaint local shop established in 1914, a primary school with an uplifting sign reading: "The nicest people in the world pass through this gate", a tiny church and a tennis court.
The Hannam Vale General Store has a cafe serving hearty home cooked meals and take away pizzas. Every Sunday a jazz trio creates a party mood on the spacious outdoor verandah throughout the afternoon.
Those who have discovered this tiny corner of paradise say there is nothing nicer than to relax with a cappuccino and a newspaper on the wide verandah with one eye on the passing parade.
Climbing, Bushwalking and 4WD
There are many good climbs in the area with Big Nellie perhaps the best and the nearest. Big Nellie is an ancient volcanic plug and a good test for relatively fit people provided you don't attempt it in the rain or during a high wind.
For nature lovers and serious walkers there are forest trails through parts of Coopernook and Comboyne State Forests as well as the nearby Coorabakh State Forest and Middle Brother State Forest.
The State Forest roads are good 4WD tracks and offer a range of long and short trips. There is a sealed road to Ellenborough Falls which has the largest single drop in the southern hemisphere.
The National Parks in the Mid North Coast of NSW Australia have spectacular rainforest, waterfalls, views and scenery.
More Information...
Special 4wd Tours
Your bed and breakfast farmstay hosts and All Around OzTours, (local 4WD specialists) have developed a series of special day tours for visitors.
You can choose to explore the mountains inland, or the waterways and long empty beaches on the North coast, with champagne breakfast or a sunset dinner.
OzTours will also arrange pick ups from Sydney Airport for guests who want to operate from a base at Benbellen for special occasion tours.
Eating Out
The Mid North Coast abounds with fresh local produce and seafood. There are some excellent restaurants in Port Macquarie, Laurieton, Harrington, Taree and Forster, with a few special places tucked away in remote corners.
This part of the coast is a major oyster growing region so if a few dozen fresh shells, a cold glass of wine and an empty beach is your idea of heaven, you're in luck.
In Hannam Vale you can also enjoy the country fare at Benbellen Country Retreat, or have a weekend treat at the Hannam Vale Broadwalk Cafe-restaurant with home cooked meals, excellent coffee and locally made cakes.
Your B & B Farmstay hosts are happy to advise on the restaurants and 'eating opportunities' in the area.
Vineyards and Macadamia Plantation
Going north along the Pacific Highway to Port Macquarie there's wine tasting at Cassegrain, Charley Bros and Broken Bago vineyards. If you are supping on a Sunday, Broken Bago offers live jazz with your wine twice a month.
There's tasting of a different kind at the home of Norfolk Punch, a famous non alcoholic herbal wine made high in Middle Brother mountain above the village of Kendall.
Further along the Comboyne road is a macadamia farm which offers special chilli, garlic or honey flavoured nuts.
Horse Riding
There are many great horse trail & riding opportunities on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Just ask your bed and breakfast farmstay hosts for recommendations, or see our special horse riding accommodation packages.
Adventure
For the actively inclined there's sky diving off Middle Brother, paragliding water skiing, scuba diving and 4WD beach fishing safaris. Everglades in the Hastings Valley offer canoeing and kayaking and if you are looking for blue water, deep sea fishing charters are available from North Haven.
Sightseeing
Jet boat expeditions and luxury cruises along the Hastings River and fishing on Queens Lake at Laurieton offer a more gentle experience. You can cuddle koalas at the Koala Sanctuary, feed wallabys at Diamond Head or take a stroll back in time through Timbertown at Wauchope .
From the top of North Brother the view stretches across the Manning Valley to the south and up to the meandering waterways of the Hastings Valley in the north. Take a picnic lunch, sit awhile amongst the beauty and walk off the meal with a 10 minute bushwalk along well marked tracks.
Golfing
The Mid North Coast boasts some of the finest golf courses outside of the metropolitan areas and all of them welcome visiting club and social golfers.
Camden Haven is the nearest and is a good test of your host's golfing skills.
Port Macquarie is an excellent seaside course whereas Wauchope, Wingham and Taree offer well designed inland courses. Foster is another good seaside course and Tuncurry is a genuine links-style course rated as one of the top courses in Australia.
Fishing
Apart from the "catch and return" fishing ~ rainbow trout and Australian Bass ~ on the farm's dam, a wide variety of fishing is available locally. Half day deepsea fishing tours are arranged with Aussie Charters ~ John Dory ~ Flathead ~ traglin jewfish ~ mowong ~ kingfish and tuna. They also conduct dolphin watching and "swimming with dolphins" tours. Castaways 4WD and Beach Fishing Tours with pick up and drop off at Benbellen cater for beginners and families. They also arrange special tours for Benbellen guests to the Koala Hospital and Sea Acres Rain Forest Walks.
Beaches
The beach at Crowdy Head National Park offers kilometers of pristine sand as far as the eye can see. With strong rolling surf, Crowdy Point Lighthouse to the south, and seldom another living soul in sight, this is a great beach. Just south of the Park is Harrington where you can walk along the breakwater or drop in for seafood at the local restaurants.
To the north are the beaches of New Haven, Bonny Hills as well as the many beaches of Port Macquarie.
Further south are excellent swimming beaches at Old Bar and the bustling beach side towns of Forster/Tuncurry which enjoy a busy tourist season throughout the summer months and offer a choice of restaurants and bars.
Everything you could wish for at your fingertips - Hannam Vale is well worth a visit!
Tourist Information Links...
Beautiful beaches Mid North Coast NSW Australia
|
Visit the Hannam Vale NSW Tourism Website
Hannam Vale General Store
Hannam Vale Primary School
Rock climbing
4wd forests & beaches
Fine Wine & Dining
Horse riding & trail rides
National Park Waterfalls
Golf
Water Sports
Diamond Head
|
