Port Macquarie Heritage
Port Macquarie was established in 1821 after John Oxley in October 1818 followed the Hastings River from the mountains and came across this idyllic port which he proclaimed to be a “paradise of great significance and potential”.
Port Macquarie was initially used as a place of secondary punishment, to receive convicts who had transgressed the law a second time after transportation to the Colony. Port's convict population peaked in 1825, but was then progressively run down until 1830 when the Hastings Valley was opened up to free settlement. The convicts were subsequently sent to Norfolk Island or Moreton Bay (now known as Brisbane.)
When free settlement commenced the remaining convicts were assigned to free settlers as a cheap source of labour. A ‘Ticket of Leave’ was sometimes granted; this meant that the convict could work for payment and acquire property on the condition of living within a specified district and reporting to a magistrate. Convicts could also be given a ‘Conditional Pardon’ of their sentence if they agreed to stay in the Colony. By 1847, Port Macquarie was no longer a penal settlement.
The settlement grew rapidly with the arrival of the free settlers; taking up land, building houses and stocking their properties. Timber mills sprung all over the district and the Port Macquarie wharf was expanded to cater for the increased shipping to take timber and farm produce to Sydney.
In 1887 Local Government was formed in the town as Port Macquarie Municipal Council.
The Cache
The final cache is located at:
S 31° 2A.BCD
E 152° 5E.FGH
Where A = PMH #3 - PMH #1
Where B = PMH #4 - PMH #2
Where C = PMH #6 - PMH #5 - 1
Where D = PMH #6 - PMH #2 - 8
Where E = PMH #4 - PMH #1
Where F = PMH #7 - PMH #8
Where G = PMH #1 - PMH #2
Where H = PMH #3 - PMH #2
PMH #1 =
PMH #2 =
PMH #3 =
PMH #4 =
PMH #5 =
PMH #6 =
PMH #7 =
PMH #8 =
When replacing the cache, please make sure that it is secure and that it can't be opened by muggles. You will see what we mean when you get there!
All information for this series has been sourced from the Port Macquarie – Hastings Council web site.