About Old Bar and Surrounds
Old Bar a hidden gem in the coastal strip of the Manning Valley area, 15 minutes' drive from Taree, 1hr south of Port Macquaire and 3hrs north of Sydney. Boasting some of Australia's best waves, fishing with 4WD beach access, world class mountain biking and natural attractions in nearby National Parks. It's the ideal base for surfing, kiteboarding, biking enthusiasts and holiday makers looking a more traditional Aussie coastal holiday to relax and unwind with uncrowded beaches, pampering and wellness services, good food, great coffee and live music.
Events not to be missed
Flow Bar Free Live Music & Ticketed Gigs - A welcoming and vibrant café with a distinctive and stylish seaside vibe. On weekends, guests will be entertained by free local and touring bands and musicians (Friday nights and Sunday lunch). Special ticketed gigs held at Flow have been Diesel and The Audreys. Coming up Mick Thomas and the Celibate Rifles.
January - Troy Bayliss Classic, Flat track motorcycle race, Old Bar - Taree Club. 35 Invited guest riders will compete along side event host Troy Bayliss racing for the prestigious Troy Bayliss Cup. The event launched in 2013 and quickly become a very iconic motorcycle event, Mick Kirkness won the cup against one of the most decorated line up of riders ever to compete in a Australian motorcycle event.
March - Ocean Rhythms Music Festival! An annual family friendly all day live music event with awesome acts such as Tash Sultana, Caravana Sun, The Morrisons, The Swamp Stompers, Christine Anu, The Ruiins, delicious food and bar in the heart of our little seaside village. Check out the Old Bar Beach Festival page for festival informations, event dates and tickets.
June - Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow hits the road bring a colossal night of hilarity to The Manning Entertainment Centre. Be prepared for laughs a plenty as we let loose our most loved comedians onto the open road. See comedians and buy tickets via MEC.
AUGUST - Pbm Hardrock 6 Hour Mountain Bike Race, the flagship event for the Manning Great Lakes Tip Riders Mountain Bike Club. Based on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, the Tipriders are proud to showcase the Kiwarrak Mountain Bike Park near Taree during the race.
September - Old Bar Garage Sale, Old Bar comes alive the first weekend of September. Thousands of inquisitive shoppers hit town as we attempt to break the record for the ‘Most Garage Sales on the One Day in One Town’. Come and join the fun! Gather all your trash and treasures to take part on the day or come and shop to your hearts content. Bargains galore walk out the door and pocket money aplenty is made from unwanted items gathering dust around the household.
October Long Weekend - Old Bar Beach Festival is an annual celebration of classic Australian summer holidays that's held on the October long weekend. Kombi Fest is one of the festival's highlights that attracts hundreds of keen Kombi van enthusiasts.
October - Wingham Akoostik Festival a 3 day celebration of music! The Wingham Akoostik Festival showcases diverse local and regional talent in music and provides a social and cultural focus for our community. A mix of well-known Australian icons have performed on the Akoostik stages. Previous festival guest artists include Grace Knight, Deborah Conway, Doc Neeson, Richard Clapton, Wendy Matthews, Phil Jamieson, Kevin Bennett, Arabesk, Felicity Urquhart, Jigzag, Sara Tindley, The Flood, Shane Howard, Afro Moses, Siskin River and Smokin' Joe Robinson plus hundreds of other local and regional touring artists. Check the website for this year's line up and dates.
December - Surfin Santas - For the last few years the Wallabi Point community has been gathering together at Tarrants to enjoy the Surfing Santas. It began with a couple of dozen but has now turned quite large with people from as far as Ireland and France turning up for the event. Following this everyone ventures over to the local shop to sing Christmas carols. Check the GTCC calendar of events website for dates.
December - New Years Eve @ Flow Bar, Live Music, Cocktails, Good Food, Best Atmosphere (Extended Closing Hours)
BWBH HOT TIPS
MOUNTAIN BIKING
Bourke’s Bike Shop runs weekly ‘Shop Rides’ for beginners/intermediate or advanced riders, a great way to get to know the trails from experienced riders.
Kiwarrak Mountain Bike Park, Kiwarrak State Forest (pronounced Kye Warrick), Tinonee. One of the best kept mountain bike secrets in NSW. Visit https://www.tipriders.com/ for trail information.
Bourkes Bicycles. Shop 4/ 12 Mill Close, Taree, NSW 2430. info@ bourkesbicycles.com.au. Tel: 02 65521251
Beaches and waterways
Make sure you visit more than one of the beautiful local and surrounding beaches and national parks;
Old Bar, Wallabi Point, Saltwater for the water sport enthusiasts. For the family, Saltwater lagoon and picnic reserve provides warm, clean, shallow water excellent for stand up paddle-boarding, swimming, canoeing and picnics / BBQs. Other spots not to be missed are Crowdy Bay, Blackhead, Hallidays Point, Forster-Tuncurry just to name a few.
Driving on the beach is always fun. Remember to obtain a beach permit to access a range of beautiful, unspoilt beaches in both the Manning Valley and Great Lakes area. Obtain the permit locally or before you arrive.
Bohnock Bait & Tackle - Boat & Kayak Hire, Fishing Tackle & Bait
Crowdy Bay Charters - Off shore fishing charters
Walks and Scenic Drives
The Manning Valley has a great selection of scenic walks and drives available. With beautiful rain forests and coastal trails for people of all ages.
Old Bar walking trail There are various entry points the main ones being behind the Old Bar air strip and between Old Bar village and Mud Bishops Park. There are 4km of scenic walking tracks and it is home to many bird species. Wallabies, koalas and echidnas have been sighted and during spring the wildflowers are abundant. Allow 1 hour.
Explore one or more of the nine nearby National Parks and Reserves. Be amazed by natural attractions like Ellenborough Falls, one of the longest single drop waterfalls in the southern hemisphere. Crowdy Head National Park and the beautiful waterways of Myall Lakes National Park are just two of the best.
See & Do
Billabong Wildlife Park, Port Macquaire
Club Old Bar - Lawn Bowls, T.A.B & poker facilities
Golf Clubs: Taree | Tallwoods | Wingham | Harrington
Horse Riding, Claredon Forest Retreat
Joy Flights: Manning River Aero Club, Taree Airport
Mid North Coast Paint Ball, Old Bar
River Cruises - Manning Valley River Cruises | Camden Haven Cruises, Laurieton
Saltwater Surf School, Old Bar
Squash and Leisure Centre, Old Bar: 02 6553 7401
Tandem Skydive, Taree
Whales spotting - Whales pass our coastline between May, June and July to warmer waters
Shop, eat, drink, relax
Old Bar Road - Coles, Bottleshop, Bakery, Pharmacy, Gift Shop, The Bird Tree women's retail, Hairsalons, Post Office and more just a short stroll from the hotel
Markets - Old Bar Markets- 4thSunday of every month | The Hub - Taree Market 3rd Sunday of every month |
Nabiac Farmers Markets - last Saturday of each month
Honeycomb Valley Farm, Nabiac
Taree Central - Woolworths, Big W and 30 seciality stores
Manning Mall,Taree - Coles, target and a variety of stores
Bago Vineyard & Maze, Wauchope
Bent on Food, Wingham
Bistro Seasalt, Harrington
Blowfish, Streetfood Kiosk, Old Bar
Fish Fish Fish, Taree
Flow Bar, Cafe, Restaurant & Live Music Venue, Old Bar
Garden Grub Cafe, Wingham
Jashan Lounge, Indian Taree
Roses Vineyard and Animal Farm, Wauchope
Red Tail Wines & Cellar Door, Marlee
Sai Thai Table & Tea, Old Bar
Massage - Old Bar Wellness Centre
Yoga - Healing Heart Yoga | Yoga at Wallibi
Arts & Crafts/Galleries/Museums
The Manning Valley features a wide array of arts and craft establishments as well as regional history museums. Get crafty, enjoy some culture or a take a wander down memory lane. Artisans..on the hill | Manning Historical Museum |
The Other Side Gallery Teahouse are worth a visit.
For what's on and more information on things to do and see visit Greater Taree Council Calendar of events | Visit NSW Forster & Taree | Manning Valley Information
