Why So Many Australians Told Us We Had to Visit Here!

Do you know a place you can surf with whales, hang with koalas, and take part in a local tradition all in a weekend? Well, we do. Come along and we'll show you. Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of The Wickman's Life. After a long drive, we've finally made it to Port Macquarie, the next stop on our East Coast adventure. Since we arrived a bit later in the day, we headed straight to Town Beach. Like always, we weren't sure what to expect, but as soon as we got here, we could feel the energy. It was a vibrant, bustling spot. Locals and visitors were out soaking in the stunning scenery and the skate park was alive with skaters, bikers, and scooter enthusiasts. The kids' playground was packed with little ones having a blast. It was the perfect place to stretch our legs after the drive. When we first stepped out of the van, one thing immediately stood out. All of the painted rocks lining the inlet. Each rock had its own unique design and it really added a special touch to this place. It's a local tradition here and we would be honored to join in. Hopefully, we can find ourselves a rock. The next morning, we woke up to a beautiful day and headed straight back to Town Beach. We decided to get creative and built a little beach hut using washed up tree branches. It was such a fun and relaxing way to enjoy the morning soaking in the beauty around us. It was the perfect start to our day, but of course, with all the fun adventures we have planned, we're going to need some energy. So, we're heading to one of the local fish and chips spot in town to fuel up. I'm pretty proud of our little beach hut. Definitely have a good amount of shade in here. A little bit of protection from the wind and it looks really cool. Alright guys, y'all tell me, is this an Australian thing or is this a Port Mac thing? What? I've never seen that. Look how cool that is. They gave the tree a crocheted blanket. What in the Australia is this? They did all the trees in this whole little median here. Alright, so the sign said best fish and chips in Port Mac. So, let's see if that's really the case. Here's a spring roll for you. I asked if they could cut it in half. That thing's massive. That's a side of chips for you. Holy cow. Let's see how the fries are. Very good. How's the spring roll? Good? Okay, so this is a homemade tartar sauce. Definitely looks a little different. I decided to try it. It's very light and flaky. It does have a little bit of a fishy taste, but it still tastes fresh. I don't know if that makes sense, but pretty good. It's not my favorite. I'm gonna eat it. What a beautiful place to have a picnic. Alright, let me see what the fish and chips are like. That's good. Definitely not bad. Maybe not the top one we've had on the trip. Go get dad. Get him. Tackle daddy! To the ground! I'm gonna get on the sofa. Get him! I don't... You don't even need mama. My baby's got this big old daddy. He's probably going, oh my gosh! The van just got barreled. That's so cute. So we are just driving down this road and the birds start freaking out. And I didn't see it, but Shane realized that the birds were trying to tell us their babies were in the road. That is so cute. Oh my god, they're so tiny. Look at that one. Alright guys, you ready to hit the beach? Oh yeah. Let's do it. Come on, you little boy. We've made it to Lighthouse Beach, another stunning spot along the Australian coast. If you've been following our journey, you might be thinking, another beach? But for our family, these beaches never get old. They each have their own unique vibe. As soon as we hit the sand, the kids were off, racing to play, while daddy grabbed his board, hoping to catch a few waves. But as you can see here, sometimes things don't go as planned. And today, dad had a bit of a rough go at it. But while dad was busy wiping out, something pretty amazing was happening in the background. Turns out, a pod of humpback whales were playing right behind him. And we didn't even notice until we watched the footage back. What a cool surprise. Lighthouse Beach is actually one of the top spots for whale watching. Especially from May to November, when the whales are migrating along the coast. After all that surf fun, we decided to hike up to the Tacking Point Lighthouse. So I've been filming dad, and the kids have been playing. And I just turned around, and look at our setup, you guys. I wonder if it's a little windy. A bit windy, huh? There was no sand on this stuff a few minutes ago when I set it up. What do you think about that? Get it! You guys ready to go to the lighthouse? Yes. Built in 1907 to help ships navigate the dangerous waters after multiple shipwrecks along the coast here. Trying to get a shot of the lighthouse for you guys. Keeps trying to rain on us. This is the closest we can get to the lighthouse right now. They're kind of doing some construction, but we still want to see it. Just a mom and her daughter walking to a lighthouse. We almost let that rain deter us, but we decided not to. Somebody made this beautiful little art. All mini ball bags. Rest in peace, Vinny. Look at the waves coming this way. The lighthouse was built using a unique screw pile design, making it incredibly sturdy against the coastal elements. From here, you can see all the way to the Hastings River Breakwall and the stunning lighthouse beach. It's one of the best spots for a panoramic view along the coast. They're doing a huge accessibility walkway up to the lighthouse right now, so that's why it's under construction. But it's going to be a really beautiful little area, so you guys go check it out. It should be done here shortly. This little piece of paper, which you can see how windy it is out here, was just sitting in the sand. Dad said, what is that? I picked it up. It says, Lord God Almighty, may I move and live with godly fear. Father, may your commandments be what I do. Amen. Strive to achieve Christ like this. I think we'll keep this. That's really cool. Not to mention, it's been raining all morning, and this thing is written in pen. Piece of little paper. Why? Yeah, tell me that wasn't meant to be. After soaking in the gorgeous views from the lighthouse, we headed to one of the most special places in Port Mac, the Koala Hospital, the world's first hospital dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of koalas. Hospital, here we come. Established back in 1973, the hospital treats over 300 koalas each year. You want one? He's like, yes. Do you want one? Yes. There you go, bud. I'll take one. Thank you. Many of them are rescued from accidents, and others have been attacked by dogs or have diseases, but the work here isn't just about treating sick koalas. It's about giving them a chance to return back to the wild. You can also adopt a koala at this hospital. When you adopt a koala, you're helping fund their care and rehabilitation, plus you get updates on how your koala is doing. The Koala Hospital operates mainly through donations, so if you ever find yourself in the Port Mac area, please be sure to stop by and support this incredible place. I am lazy. I'm not lazy. If you ate eucalyptus tree leaves, you'd sleep a lot too. So you know how you just said that that little baby has human-like hands? Look at this. It's the only other animal like humans that have individual fingerprints. Am I a bear? No, I am not a bear. I am a marsupial. My babies grow inside a pouch. And we found that out because of you guys. We got made fun of. Here's Casper. Hi, Casper. Hard to see, but he's in there. Bye, Casper. This one is Ella. Ella. Hi, Ella. Oh my gosh, it's so cute. Oh my gosh, look at that big koala. His name's Hunter. Someone's taking a nice rest. I think they always are. I really am tired. They're usually napping, it seems like. If you ate leaves as your food, you would be napping all the time too. How cool is that? Hi, Benny. All right, this is old Bobby boy. He came to the hospital because he was actually attacked by a dog. Well, let's get up out of here because it's trying to get us wet. Yes. Do you guys think it's raining? We're in the rainforest, guys. We're in the rainforest. All right, so if you guys know me, you know that I love painting. I actually used to have a little sign business and when I saw all those rocks, I knew that I had to paint one for our family and leave our mark here on Port Mac. So we came to this local Bunnings and I am trying to find some paint and pick it out. And I think Raya and I and maybe Bubs and Dad will even have a hand in it. We'll paint our own rock. All right, I think I got what I needed. Oh, Raya. As I started painting our rock, I couldn't help but think about how special this tradition is. The rock painting at Port Mac Inlet has become a way for locals and visitors alike to leave a little piece of themselves behind. The tradition has been going on for years and over time, the painted rocks have become part of the community's charm. It's not just about the art, though. It's about the connection to the place and the people who pass through. Every rock tells a story and now we're adding ours to the collection. It's a simple yet beautiful way to show that we've been here, we've experienced this town, and we've loved every minute of it. If you're ever in Port Mac, come check it out. Hit that subscribe button. Drop a picture in the comments and let us know if it's still there.