Forster to Port Macquarie road trip: Distance, drive time & stops

Good stops on a Forster to Port Macquarie road trip include the Crowdy Bay National Park and Lake Cathie. The Forster to Port Macquarie drive covers a 110km distance, with a driving time of around one hour and 16 minutes.

The drive from Forster to Port Macquarie connects one of New South Wales’ most appealing beach towns to one of the two main cities on the Mid North Coast. It makes a logical leg on a Sydney to Brisbane road trip, if you’re travelling up the coast slowly and giving plenty of scenic spots a chance to shine.

Forster is best known for its beaches, but you can also try hiring a boat to explore Wallis Lake.

Forster to Port Macquarie distance and driving time

The Forster to Port Macquarie drive is 110km in distance, with a driving time of around one hour and 16 minutes.

The journey from Forster starts off by crossing the Coolongolook River into Tuncurry, where you can visit the Great Lakes Museum or enjoy the splendid Tuncurry Beach. It then follows the Wallamba River, parting from the coast. That means you miss out Diamond Beach and Saltwater National Park, unless you veer back for a detour.

Forster to Port Macquarie road trip: Khappinghat National Park and Taree

The Forster to Port Macquarie road trip joins the Pacific Highway at Rainbow Flat and pretty much immediately passes through the Khappinghat National Park. Mountain bikers tend to enjoy the trails through this forested national park more than walkers do.

The Pacific Highway crosses the Manning River just east of Taree, and there are a few stops worth considering on the Taree to Port Macquarie leg of the journey.

Forster to Port Macquarie drive: National parks and Lake Cathie

You can try the Cattai Wetlands in Coopernook, but heading to the Crowdy Bay National Park on the coast is a better bet. The Diamond Head campground in the north of the park is a famously good spot for seeing kangaroos.

If you stick to the Pacific Highway, you arrive at Middle Brother National Park. Here, next to the Bird Tree picnic area is the 300-year-old, 69 metre-tall Bird Tree, one of the biggest blackbutt trees on earth.

The Forster to Port Macquarie drive then heads past Queens Lake. The detour to Lake Cathie is worth taking shortly afterwards. You can stop for wine-tasting at the Long Point Vineyard on the way back from Lake Cathie Beach.