maggiemay

Our wonderful little village is located an easy drive to the major centres of Taree to the north, Forster to the east and Newcastle is only an hour and a half away to the south. The stunning beaches of Forster and Hallidays Point are only 10 - 15 minutes away and offer whale watching, dolphins by the bucket load and great beach and offshore fishing. The local estuaries are full of bream and flathead and local swimming holes abound. If snow is your thing, the Barrington Tops can usually provide something in the winter months and are an easy hours drive or so and large national parks surround the village.

Nabiac has an enormous sense of community. Fundraisers are held regularly to raise money for the children's ward at the Manning Base Hospital in Taree, the community swimming pool (under construction) and other local amenities. The showground hosts an annual show - not to be missed if you're after a true country feel (nothing at all like the major city shows), rodeos, markets, a variety of equine events, cattle and goods and chattels auctions. The hall also hosts poets, live bands, concerts and of course the occasional dance.

The locals are friendly and helpful overall. Should you lose one of your pets or some livestock, odds are someone has found them and put a notice up at the local stores and/or notified the local vet. Calling in the pound is rare around here. An attitude of 'live and let live' prevails.

A large number of our local roads are dirt. Consequently, particularly after heavy rain, potholes abound. The local council is getting quicker at repair, however driving slowly is always the sensible thing to do. Wildlife abounds in the area and local kids are often walking or riding their bikes on our country lanes so being cautious is essential.

Real estate here is still affordable, particularly when compared to the major cities. Although technically bypassed by the highway the village is literally still on it once you take the exit. This has resulted in the village becoming very popular as a stop over for people travelling the highway, being around a 3 hour drive from Sydney. There is no chance of getting lost in Nabiac, nor do you have to drive another 5 or 10kms to find the town as you do with most other by-passed places. Nabiac offers so much more than the typical 'service centres' found at most other exits.

Tourists and visitors abound, particularly on weekends. Our quaint village has a couple of great cafes, antique and curio shops, a pumping pub with great meals at good prices, internet cafe, rivers to fish in, parks to play in, 2 grocery stores for stocking up, a couple of bottle shops, butchers, bakers but as yet no candlestick makers, real estate agents, building society, produce store, medical centres, mechanics etc etc. There are even a couple of wineries in the area and a motor bike museum. For a tiny place it really covers just about all your needs.

Public transport is only available when school is in and only runs to school hours. Fortunately, if you need to get into Taree or Forster urgently there is nearly always someone heading that way that will offer a lift. Buses running the highway drop and pick up passengers outside the pub if heading south and at the Caltex Servo if heading north.

Unlike many other small villages, Nabiac is close enough to major centres to not be considered isolated, yet manages to maintain its true country charm and feel. We left the area in 1996 and returned in 2008 and are so glad that we did.